


Into the Light

by lovesnarf (snarfette)



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Beauty and the Beast, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magic, Violence, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-01-15 08:09:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 41,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12317136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarfette/pseuds/lovesnarf
Summary: Who could ever learn to love a monster? A Beauty and the Beast AU with a twist.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back again - seems like I can't stay away! And this one is extremely AU (even for me!). Obviously there will be some similarities between this and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, but hopefully not too many! There's definitely a twist to this tale! I hope you enjoy and please, please let me know what you think. The first 'proper' chapter will go up straight after this prologue.

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a handsome, young prince lived in a castle at the edge of a forest. For all he was beautiful on the outside, on the inside he was cruel. He didn’t know how to love anyone else – he only ever did things to keep himself happy, regardless of who he might hurt.

 

One night, a sorceress arrived at his door.

 

She gave him a chance to show that he was sorry for all of the wrongs he had committed. If he could show kindness and empathy, if he could show remorse for his wrongdoings and the way he had hurt others, if he could be selfless, she would grant him forgiveness. If he could not, she would curse him forever. If he would not change his ways, she would make his outside form match what was in his heart.

 

The prince laughed at the sorceress. No-one could touch him. No-one could ruin his perfect life. He didn’t need love or kindness in his life if he could control everyone with his scheming ways. He slammed the door in her face but not before the sorceress promised the prince that he would regret his choice.

 

Despite her foreboding words, nothing changed at the castle and there didn’t appear to be any sign of the sorceress’ spell affecting the young prince. Not until a few weeks had passed.

 

At the next full moon, the prince transformed into a terrible monster. He was no longer a man, but a ferocious, wild beast with no recollection of who he was. He was uncontrollable and escaped the castle, killing two of his own guards on his way.

 

Prowling the forest, he found himself set upon by a pack of wolves, angry that he had ventured into their territory. It was a bloody fight. Several wolves were killed by the prince in his monstrous form, but he too was injured.

 

After the wolves had fled, the prince managed to drag himself away from the scene. As the sun began to rise, he was nearly back at the castle and he slowly changed back into his human form.

 

That was how his servants found him; bleeding, wounded and exhausted, lying in the snow at the edge of the forest.

 

The prince was nursed back to health but his body was horribly scarred, his face marred with three deep scratches from the claws of one of the wolves.

 

And as he rested, the sorceress returned to remind him of her spell.

 

She told him that he was cursed. He would transform with each full moon. He would become the most feared creature imaginable. He would lose himself in the beast. He would become a werewolf.

 

She told him that his appearance, that had been so important to him, now matched the ugliness in his heart; telling him to try to find one who would love him now he was a scarred, monstrous creature. For that was the only way to break the curse: ‘ _find one who will love you before your thirtieth year, or you will be forever trapped as a monster’_.

 

She left him with an enchanted clock, counting down the time until his thirtieth birthday and tracking the changes of the moon in the night sky.

 

Terrified of his fate and ashamed of his appearance, the prince shut himself away in his castle. Most of his servants were sent away, leaving only two people by his side. At the prince’s request, they locked him away at each full moon to prevent the beast escaping and harming anyone else.

 

With each full moon that came and went, the prince found himself slipping further and further into despair: he felt a part of his soul, part of his humanity, begin to disappear.

 

The prince slowly began to lose all hope. For who could ever love a monster such as him?   


	2. Chapter 1

‘ _Aaron is going to kill me_ ,’ Liv thought to herself as she looked at her surroundings anxiously.

 

The sun was beginning to dip beneath the horizon: the forest was gradually slipping into darkness all around Liv, and she had no idea where she was.

 

When she had set off that morning, Aaron had made her promise that she would be back before nightfall. He had also made her promise that she wouldn’t take any more of her ‘shortcuts’ which only ever ended in disaster according to Aaron. So Liv had broken two of her promises today and when she made it home - _if_ she made it home – Aaron was probably going to kill her. Obviously he wasn’t going to _actually_ kill her, but Aaron was so protective of his little sister that he probably wouldn’t speak to her for a week as punishment. Receiving the silent treatment from Aaron was a unique brand of torture.

 

The thing was, Liv knew that she was going to deserve it. She had promised Aaron that she wouldn’t take any shortcuts and she’d promised to leave the market in plenty of time to get home before darkness fell. She knew that Aaron only got angry with her because he cared about her so much. Since their parents had died, they only had each other – half-siblings who were so alike in so many ways, taking care of each other through everything. And this wouldn’t be the first time that Aaron had been annoyed with Liv. Right now though, all Liv wanted was to get home. Even if that meant getting an ear-bashing from Aaron, it was much better than being lost and alone in the forest as night crept towards her.

 

She pulled her horse to a halt as she looked at the two paths before her. Racking her brain for any tiny sliver of recognition, she drew a blank. She didn’t remember any of this part of the forest and she wondered, not for the first time, how she had gotten so spectacularly lost.

Maybe she should retrace her steps. If she followed the path back to where she had initially taken her ‘shortcut’, she could re-join the road she knew and carry on back to the village. But she had travelled quite a way along the path and as the sunlight began to get weaker and weaker she feared heading back into the heart of the forest.

 

“What do you suggest?” Liv asked her horse as she patted its neck.

 

“I’d suggest doing as you’re told and not trying to be smart, Liv,” Liv answered her own question, putting on her best imitation of Aaron’s voice.

 

She sighed heavily and made up her mind. There was no good hesitating any longer.

 

“This way,” she said, trying to sound confident in her decision as she urged her horse towards the path to her left.    

 

***   

It turned out that Liv’s navigational skills left a lot to be desired as she found herself utterly bewildered. She shuddered as the cold of the night seeped beneath her clothes, and she pulled her cloak more tightly around herself as she rode.

 

Darkness had completely taken over the forest, filling each and every space with blackness. The clouds obscuring the moon meant that Liv could barely see the top of her horse’s head, let alone see where she was going. But she didn’t dare stop. In the distance she had already heard eerie howls and the cries of wild animals that she didn’t want to meet, so she continued blindly.

 

The snapping of a branch from somewhere behind her had her whipping her head around to peer into the blackness. There wasn’t a lot of point even looking seeing as she couldn’t make anything out in the dark, but instinct told her that she wasn’t alone. A chill wandered along her spine, causing the hairs at the back of her neck to rise.

 

The horse seemed to sense that they were in trouble, becoming jittery as they pushed on through the trees.

 

Then, as the clouds parted for a brief moment and moonlight filtered into the forest, Liv caught sight of twinkling eyes ahead of them. The next thing she saw was a set of sharp white teeth.

 

The wolf snarled as Liv pulled the horse to a halt and just stared at the creature before her.

Nothing happened for what felt like a long time as both Liv and the wolf assessed each other. Then, with a low growl, the wolf started forwards. In response, Liv tugged the horse’s reins sharply and slammed her heel against its flanks to urge it into action. The horse didn’t seem to need much encouragement as the wolf drew closer; it broke into a gallop with Liv desperately calling for it to go faster.

 

Thin branches and twigs ripped at Liv’s clothes and skin as they fled but she didn’t pay them any attention – all that mattered was getting to safety. She completely trusted the horse’s judgement of where to run seeing as she had no idea where they were or where to turn. She felt the scarf around her neck snag on a branch and it was pulled from around her throat as they sped on but she didn’t look back – she didn’t dare.

 

She was sure the snarling from behind her had drifted away but still she forced the horse on. When she finally risked a glance behind, there was no sign of the hunter that had been chasing them and she let out a long breath in relief. As she turned around to pull the reins to slow the horse, a thick, low-hanging branch was immediately in front of her and before she could react, she had ploughed straight into it. She felt the crack to her head and swayed in her saddle as her vision blurred.

 

Her last thought before she fell unconscious was that she had to stay upright on the horse, so she twisted her hands tightly in the reins before she slumped forwards against the animal’s neck. 

 

***    

“She can’t stay here.”

 

“What do you want us to do with her? Throw her back out into the forest?”

 

“I’m hardly suggesting that, but Robert will go mad if he finds her here.”

 

Liv became aware of a hushed conversation going on somewhere nearby. It almost seemed like part of a dream but the insistent throbbing in her skull told her that she wasn’t asleep.

 

Forcing her eyes to open slightly, she found herself in a dimly-lit room. A fire blazed in the hearth nearby, casting the only light into the large space. Lifting a hand to her forehead, she felt the cause of her horrific headache, a large bump raised on her skin. She groaned a little as her fingers brushed the wound and suddenly the whispered voices trailed off.

 

Even though Liv had been aware of the voices as she slowly regained consciousness, the halt to the sound brought her into wakefulness more abruptly than anything else. Sitting up slowly, she looked at the two figures standing beside the chaise longue that she had been lying on.

 

“Um, hello?” she said, knowing it sounded like a question, intending it to sound as one as she wondered where she was, who these people were and how she’d ended up here in the first place.

 

The two people glanced at each other slightly wide-eyed for a moment. There was a pretty young woman with wavy brown hair who smiled at her reassuringly and a man with curly dark hair standing beside her looking extremely uncomfortable. They both stared at Liv for a while before the woman spoke.

 

“Hello, um, how are ya feeling?”

 

Liv squinted slightly. “I’ve got a splitting headache and, well, I’m kind of confused.”

 

“Hmm,” the woman nodded as she chewed her lip. “I’m sure you are. Well, um, welcome to the castle.”

 

The dark-haired man alongside her nudged her at those words and sent her a glare that looked a lot like a warning.

 

“Castle?” Liv asked. “How did I get here?”

 

The man finally spoke up. “Your horse arrived at the gate with you unconscious in your saddle. Victoria,” he gestured at the young woman, “decided to bring you into the castle seeing as you were injured.”

 

“Oh,” Liv nodded as she gingerly touched the bump on her head again. “Well, thanks - that was kind of you.”

 

“Don’t mention it,” Victoria said cheerfully and she plonked herself down beside Liv, looking at her closely. “So, what’s your name? And what happened out there?”

 

Liv noticed that the still-nameless man looked agitated as he remained standing nearby. His eyes kept flicking towards the large door into the room.

 

“I’m Liv,” she replied. “I got lost in the forest on my way home from the market and I was chased by a wolf. That’s when I hit my head and obviously ended up here.” Liv paused and looked around the room. “Where exactly are we? I didn’t know there was a castle in the forest.”

 

“Well, we’re actually just on the edge of the forest, to the north,” Victoria started but was cut off by the man.

 

“I think it’s probably time for us to let Liv get on her way, Vic,” he said in a rush as he stepped forwards.

 

Victoria looked up at him sharply and tilted her head to the side.

 

Liv noticed that the other man was still fidgeting nervously as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

 

“It’s still the middle of the night, _Adam_ ,” Victoria replied with a sarcastic smile. “I’m sure you don’t expect poor Liv to go back out there in the dark, with an injury. Anything could happen to her.” She turned her attention back to Liv. “Sorry about him,” she waved her hand at Adam, “We don’t get many visitors here so I think he’s forgotten his manners.” She shot Adam a reproachful look as she finished speaking.

 

Adam huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest and muttered, “I don’t think it’s _my_ manners we need to worry about really, do you?”

 

Victoria looked like she was about to respond but Liv beat her to it.

 

“I don’t want to cause you any trouble,” she said earnestly. “You’ve been very kind, but I…I can go.” She didn’t really want to go back out into the night to face the wild beasts that were roaming but she couldn’t overstay her welcome.

 

“Nonsense!” Victoria exclaimed.

 

But as she spoke, there was a loud bang from somewhere outside the room they were gathered in, and all eyes moved to the doorway.

 

The anxiousness that both Victoria and Adam felt was immediately apparent and Liv could feel the tension seeping into her own body.

 

“Oh…” Adam breathed out. “Oh no…I _told_ you this was a bad idea,” he directed at Victoria over his shoulder.

 

Victoria had stood up and moved toward Adam. “Go and distract him or something,” she said hurriedly.

 

“And what exactly are you going to do?” Adam snapped back. His eyes flicked towards Liv who was sitting on the edge of the seat nervously. Liv was suddenly wondering whether she’d have been better off out in the forest.

 

As Adam threw another tense look at Victoria, he moved towards the door, but he had barely taken two steps when the door was thrown open and he staggered to a halt.

 

Liv looked in the direction of the door but couldn’t see around Victoria’s figure blocking her view.

 

“What is this?” he heard a voice ask roughly.

 

Victoria rushed forwards as well, leaving Liv still sitting in her position.

 

“Uh, she got hurt in the woods and we couldn’t leave her out there with the wolves so we brought her inside to take care of her, it’s only for one night and we didn’t want to disturb you. She’s just a girl,” Victoria’s words were tumbling out in such a rush that Liv could hardly believe how different she sounded from the earlier conversation.

 

There was a pause as no-one spoke and Liv decided that maybe she should introduce herself. She guessed that this was the master of the house and she didn’t want to be rude; she wanted to show her gratitude for being allowed into the safe haven of the castle. Aaron would have been proud of her. Pushing herself slightly unsteadily to her feet, she smoothed her rumpled shirt down before she looked up slowly. Her eyes widened in shock.

 

The man that stood in the doorway was glaring at her with narrowed eyes. Or rather, one narrowed eye. The other was unseeing, a long white scar running diagonally from above the man’s left eyebrow, down to his jaw, passing through his eye socket, leaving the eye clouded over so that it was nearly completely white. The scar was accompanied by two of similar length, one on either side, grazing the corners of his eye.

 

The words died in Liv’s throat.

 

“Who _are_ you?” the man growled. “Why are you here?”

 

Liv was sure that Victoria had already explained that. “I…uh, I…”

 

“Have you come to look upon the monster? Have you come to mock?” the man spat and he marched towards Liv purposefully.

 

Liv couldn’t back away, her legs were already pressed to the edge of the chaise longue. She stammered, trying to explain herself in the face of this man’s seemingly irrational fury.

“I…I didn’t know. I’m…I’m sorry.”

 

“Robert,” Victoria rushed forwards, “She didn’t come here on purpose; it’s not her fault. She’s just a child.”    

 

Normally, Liv would’ve snapped that she wasn’t a child, but in that moment she was quite pleased to have someone defending her.      

 

 The furious man – Robert – didn’t acknowledge Victoria’s words as he continued to glare at Liv.

 

“You shouldn’t be here,” he snarled angrily.

 

“I…I’ll go,” Liv said immediately, “I’m sorry, I’ll go.”

 

“What and run back to your village and tell them about the monster living in the castle?” he snapped. “No, you can’t leave.”

 

“Robert…” Adam spoke for the first time since the other man had appeared in the room.

 

“No!” Robert shouted, cutting him off. “She cannot leave. She can’t go back to her home and tell them what she’s seen, who lives here in the shadows.” He turned back to Liv abruptly. “You shouldn’t have come here,” he repeated as he stared at Liv. He suddenly grabbed hold of Liv’s arm in an almost painfully tight grip and pulled her out of the room.

 

Liv tried to stop herself being pulled along but her struggles were useless; the man was far too powerful for her. She was dragged up a set of winding stone steps and forced into a room at the top. The heavy metal door was slammed shut behind her with a resounding bang.

 

She felt tears stinging at her eyes as she ran back to the door and peered out of the bars at the back of her jailer as he walked back to the steps.

 

“Please,” she called out desperately, “Please, let me go!”

 

Robert paused in his departure but didn’t turn around. “You will stay here until I decide what to do with you,” he growled lowly. “You shouldn’t have come here,” he repeated for the third time since he had seen Liv. With that, he continued walking down the steps away from Liv.

Liv let out a sob and sunk down to the floor of her cell. She turned as she fell and leant her back against the metal door. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she buried her face in her arms and cried bitterly.

 

***

Nearly three weeks had passed and there had been no sign of Liv.

 

Aaron had been out scouring the forest every day since his little sister had failed to return from the market. He knew that something must have happened to Liv to prevent her from returning. Not only was it out of character for Liv to just disappear, but Aaron could just feel it in his heart. Something terrible had happened and he was determined to find Liv and get her home to safety.

 

During the first few days of Liv’s mysterious absence, some of their friends had helped with the search. But as the days passed and there was no sign of her, they eventually drifted back to their lives, trying to gently suggest to Aaron that maybe his quest was in vain and maybe he should just accept that Liv was gone. Aaron wasn’t having any of it. He refused to give up on his sister: he refused to stop searching.

 

So for the twentieth day in a row, Aaron found himself deep in the forest. He had searched the forest meticulously, desperate for any sign or clue as to Liv’s whereabouts. So far, he had found nothing.

 

He only dared search during the daylight hours. It would have been pointless to continue trying to find anything in the darkness, but also it would have been far too dangerous. All sorts of wild animals roamed the woodland and Aaron didn’t particularly want to come face to face with any of them. He shuddered slightly at he thought, dreading the prospect that Liv had encountered something dangerous as she made her way home.

 

Shaking disturbing thoughts from his head, he continued on his journey.

 

Each day he was finding himself moving further into unknown territory. There were several well-known paths and tracks running through the forest, and there were parts of the woodland that Aaron knew well since he had played in them as a child. But now he was finding himself venturing into newer parts, places he’d never seen before, places that somehow seemed darker and much less inviting than the trees and clearings he’d enjoyed his whole life.

 

It was a breezy day and all around him the branches of the trees swayed and leaves whirled as they were lifted by the wind. It was probably the fact that it was windy that led to Aaron catching sight of something out of place amongst the natural features of the forest. A bright blue scarf, entangled on a branch, was fluttering in the breeze.

 

Immediately, Aaron left the path and made his way over to the scarf. He knew instantly that it belonged to Liv – she had been wearing it wrapped around her neck on the morning she had left for the market.

 

“Liv!” he called out without hesitation, twisting around on the spot desperately hoping that his sister would come running out from the trees with an apologetic smile on her face. He knew it was a long shot. But finding the scarf meant that at some point Liv _had_ been here. He was a long way from the usual route that they took through the woods and Aaron wondered what could have led Liv this way – his only conclusion was that Liv must have been lost. But how had she lost her scarf? And why wouldn’t she have stopped to retrieve it if it had fallen off? Unless she _couldn’t_ stop. Aaron shuddered slightly as he continued to look around for any further sign of his sister. He carefully untangled the scarf from the branch and inspected it closely. Then he tucked it into the pocket of his jacket.

 

With renewed faith that he was close to finding Liv, he set off again.

 

***

Aaron knew that he’d have to turn back soon. The sun was beginning to slip lower in the sky and he knew that the light would soon be fading. He’d have to turn back if he wanted to make it home before it was completely dark. But something kept pulling him forwards. ‘Just a few more minutes of searching,’ he kept telling himself.

 

Eventually his persistence seemed to have paid off, because the trees seemed to be thinning out a little and suddenly he had broken out of the forest entirely and was confronted by an enormous castle.

 

He stood staring up at the imposing building for a long time, wondering how he had never been aware of this place. Surely a person of great importance and authority lived here, but Aaron was pretty sure that he’d never heard anyone mention royalty living at the other side of the forest.

 

What if Liv had found herself here? What if she’d had an accident and sought help within the walls of the castle? What if she was still here?

 

He started to walk closer, deciding that even if Liv wasn’t here, maybe someone had seen her or knew something that might help Aaron in his search. He couldn’t turn back now.

 

Arriving at the massive iron gates in the castle wall, Aaron peered through the metal work in hopes of catching the attention of one of the household servants or a gardener. There was no-one around.

 

“Hello?” he called out. There was no response.

 

Looking back at the gate, Aaron realised that it wasn’t even locked. He slid his fingers under the latch and lifted it, wondering at the rusted metal and cursing when the hinges whined loudly as he pushed the gate open. He slipped inside and closed the gate as quietly as possible.

 

Still there was no sign of another living soul and Aaron began to wonder if anyone even lived there anymore. However, the gardens, while they weren’t pristine, seemed to be well-tended, which surely meant that someone was looking after them.

 

Aaron made his way towards the doorway of the castle. Slightly nervously, he lifted the door knocker and banged it firmly against the wood a few times. Then he took a step back and tried to make himself look respectable, even though he was technically trespassing. But, he reasoned to himself, if they didn’t want people just wandering in, they’d lock the gate. He’d never been a massive fan of following the rules and if breaking a few meant he’d find Liv then so be it.

 

It was this philosophy that had Aaron pushing down the handle of the large door after a few minutes of standing waiting with no response from inside. To his utter shock, the door creaked open, so Aaron pushed it wide and stared inside.

 

It seemed very dark in the entrance hallway and again there didn’t seem to be anyone around. There was no hustle and bustle of servants running around carrying out their tasks. There was no sound at all.

 

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Aaron took a few steps inside the building. The light was rapidly fading outside, leaving just a few shafts of orangey sunlight spilling in through the narrow windows and the still open door. There was no fire burning in the hearth that Aaron could see across the hall, no candles lit on the stairway.

 

Maybe Aaron had been correct in his initial thought that the castle was abandoned. It certainly didn’t _feel_ lived in. And if there _were_ servants here working for their master, they weren’t doing a very good job of it, he thought to himself.

 

He cleared his throat slightly. “Hello?” he called out again. “Is there anyone here?”

 

He took a few steps further into the entrance hall and turned in a full circle as he looked around. “I don’t mean to intrude. I’m looking for my sister,” he called out, feeling a little bit ridiculous explaining himself to no-one.

 

When he again received no reply, he sighed and felt his shoulders slump. Maybe this was a complete waste of time. But there was something niggling at him, telling him that he was so close and that he shouldn’t walk away from this place.

 

Deciding that the castle was almost certainly deserted, he quietly made his way towards one of the staircases. Slowly, he made his way up the stairs, marvelling at the beauty of the old building even though it was neglected and shrouded in darkness. It seemed sad that such a place had been abandoned. Strangely, he felt sorry for it – he felt like the house seemed lonely somehow.

 

As Aaron reached the top of the stairs, he called out again. He knew it was probably in vain but thought he’d feel better if there was some sound in the place rather than empty silence all around him.

 

“Hello? Is there anyone here?” he repeated his earlier words.

 

For a long moment there was nothing and then from a distance he heard it.

“Aaron?”

 

Aaron came to an abrupt halt on the landing. He was possibly imagining things but that sounded an awful lot like Liv. “Liv?” he called back. “Is that you?”

 

“Aaron!” the voice replied desperately.

 

Aaron didn’t need to call out again; he set off running along in the direction of the voice. He found himself at the bottom of another set of stairs, this time made of stone. He didn’t hesitate before running up the winding staircase and found himself panting slightly as he reached the top.

 

In the corner of the space that he found himself in, was a cell, and standing on the opposite side of the door of the cell was Liv.

 

“Liv!” he exclaimed, half in joy at finding his sister, half in shock at finding her locked in a cell. He rushed forwards and thrust his hand through the bars of the cell to touch Liv. Liv looked tired and a bit untidy but she didn’t look injured or ill or harmed in any way.

 

“I’m so glad you’re alright,” Aaron told her. “I’ve been so worried; I’ve been searching the forest for days. What happened? Where have you been? Why are you in here?” he rambled.

 

Liv looked at him wide-eyed. “You need to get out of here, Aaron,” she said desperately. “It’s not safe.”

 

“What are you talking about?” Aaron asked her in confusion.

 

“You need to leave!” Liv said firmly. “Just run, Aaron. Get away from here.”

 

Shaking his head in frustration and disbelief, Aaron refused. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not leaving here without you.”

 

“Aaron…” Liv began but her brother cut her off.

 

“No, I’m not going. I promised myself I’d get you home safe. I’m getting you out of here…if I could find a key to this door.”

 

“Behind you, hanging on the wall,” Liv said quickly and pointed in the direction.

 

Aaron quickly moved to grab the key and returned immediately, twisting the key in the lock and opening the cell door.

 

As soon as the door was open, Aaron rushed inside and tackled Liv into a tight embrace.

“You can explain everything once we get home, but for now let’s just get out of here,” he said as he pulled back.

 

When he turned around he gasped in shock at the sight of a figure standing in the doorway of the cell. Aaron could only make out his silhouette in the shadows.

 

“What are you doing here?” the stranger spoke lowly.

 

Aaron could feel himself shaking slightly but he forced himself to sound confident.

 

“I’m taking my sister home,” he said defiantly. “You had no right locking her up here. She’s just a kid.”

 

“You cannot leave,” the voice growled from the shadows.

 

“You can’t stop us,” Aaron argued.

 

“You have trespassed on my property,” the man replied. “I can do with you as I wish. I cannot allow you to leave and tell anyone what you have seen here.”

 

“I’ve hardly seen anything except a dusty, old house,” Aaron retorted.

 

“Your sister has seen more,” the man said simply.

 

Aaron looked at Liv with a frown. Liv’s wide eyes told him that she needed to get away from here. Aaron knew that there was an obvious solution to the problem but he could hardly believe what he was about to say. All he knew for sure was that he had promised to get Liv home safely and he would do whatever was necessary to make that happen.

 

Liv looked as though she was about to speak but before she could, Aaron beat her to it.

“Fine,” he said bluntly, “Let her go and…to ensure she doesn’t speak of what she’s seen here, I’ll…stay in her place.”

 

“Aaron, no!” Liv gasped out, appalled at the suggestion.

 

The stranger in the shadows was silent for a long time. Then he finally spoke. “You would do that? You would willingly stay here?”

 

“If you swear that Liv will go free and be safe, then yes, I promise I will stay here,” Aaron nodded solemnly.

 

Suddenly, two grim-faced people appeared from behind the figure in the shadows and approached Liv and Aaron.

 

“You must never speak of this place to anyone,” the stranger spoke again. “You must never return. Make sure she can never find her way back,” directed at his two servants.

 

The two new arrivals took Liv by the arms and started steering her towards the doorway.

 

“No!” she shouted as she struggled against them. “Adam, Vic, please don’t do this. No! Aaron, you don’t understand…he’s a monster!”

 

The two other people didn’t exactly look happy about their task as they led Liv away.

 

Aaron took a step after his sister. “It’ll be alright, Liv,” he called desperately. “I promise, everything will be alright.”

 

He could still hear Liv begging to be released as she was taken down the stairs.

 

“Do you promise that she’ll be unharmed?” Aaron demanded. “That she’ll go free?”

 

“I give you my word,” the man replied.

 

The sounds of Liv’s desperate struggling had faded but Aaron continued to stare at the dark figure before him.

 

“Who are you?” he asked, his voice quieter than he’d intended it to be, betraying his sudden nervousness.

 

“My name is Robert Sugden. I am the master of this house,” the man told him.

 

Aaron didn’t like Robert’s abrupt tone and the way he was still hiding in the shadows. He didn’t want to show his fear to this man. If he was going to be stuck here, he was going to show him exactly how he felt about the situation.

“Well, I think it’s a little rude for the ‘master of the house’ to lurk in the shadows,” he said scathingly. “Don’t you think you should greet your guests properly? Or does that courtesy not extend to your _prisoners_?”

 

There was a low growl from the shadows and suddenly the man was striding across the cell towards Aaron. It was nearly dark by this point but the moonlight was flooding in through the window. The man stopped a few feet away from Aaron, who had backed up against the wall in terror but couldn’t tear his eyes away from the disfigured face all-but snarling at him.

 

Robert’s good eye had narrowed as he scowled at Aaron. He towered over him menacingly.

“Do forgive my manners,” he growled sarcastically. “But I’m sure you feel better now that we’ve had a face-to-face introduction.” He breathed heavily as he stared at Aaron for a long, intense moment. “And you are _not_ a prisoner here, you _willingly_ offered to stay – I wonder how you feel about that decision now that you have formally met your ‘host’.”

 

Aaron’s eyes were wide and he knew he was trembling where he stood. Liv was right – this man _was_ a monster.

 

Robert finally tore his rage-filled glare away from Aaron and spun on his heel. He stalked out of the cell, slamming the door behind him as he went.   

 

Aaron’s shaking legs wouldn’t hold him up any longer and he slid down the wall.

 

What had he done? Why had he made that bargain? He knew why really. And the fact that Liv was safe and free meant that Aaron wouldn’t regret his sacrifice. But the thought of spending his life locked up by such a terrifyingly angry man was truly awful. And he hadn’t even had the chance to say a proper ‘goodbye’ to his sister. He was never going to see Liv again and that thought was almost too much to bear.

 

As he pulled his legs up against his body and rested his chin on his knees, he decided that he hated Robert and he would never forgive him for doing this.

 

***

Robert had stormed back to his rooms in a rage.

 

Ripping the door open and then slamming it behind him once he had entered, he paced across the floor in his dark bedroom, clenching his fists and trying to calm his anger.

 

No strangers had set foot inside the castle for several years and that was exactly how Robert liked it. The only human contact he had had since the curse was cast was with Adam and Vic and there were good reasons for that.

 

But now, _two_ strangers had arrived in his home within a month of one another. Who did they think they were just wandering into his house?

 

He still hadn’t completely forgiven Adam and Vic for bringing Liv inside a few weeks ago and now he had to deal with her brother arriving at the castle. The problem was that his sister and her husband were good people; they wanted to help, they wanted to look after others – that was why they had stayed with him, after all. However much Robert admired those qualities in them, that didn’t stop him being annoyed that they had brought a stranger into the castle, which had in turn led to another one turning up.  

 

Robert had often wondered whether he should send his two companions away. Maybe he would be better off completely alone and he had no doubt that they would be happier away from here. What sort of life was it for Adam and Vic being the only two other people in this joyless place? They should be free to live their lives happily together, in their own home as a married couple. Regardless of everything that had happened, his sister was still a princess, but she had given up that life in favour of staying with Robert in exile. He didn’t deserve such loyalty.

 

But he was also scared that they were the only thing that helped him to hold on to his humanity. If they left, he would slip further and further into becoming the monster he transformed into at each full moon.

 

His good eye wandered to the large metal cage in the corner of the room. His cage. The cage he willingly found himself locked in each month.

 

When Robert had woken up after the first time he had transformed into a werewolf, he had been appalled to learn that he had killed two of his own guards in his monstrous state. In despair, he had ordered every one of his servants to abandon the castle. His sister, Victoria, had refused to leave his side, and as such, Adam had stayed too, and Robert had begged them to lock him up to prevent him ever hurting anyone again.

 

If Robert sent his only remaining companions away, there would be no-one to lock him in his prison. The thought that he might leave the castle and attack someone else made Robert shudder in horror.

 

But it was more than just a need to have someone as his jailer that meant that Robert wanted Adam and Vic’s company. He still felt human with them. Despite his transformations and his appearance, they didn’t treat him any differently. They knew that he had developed a horrible temper and that he was often quiet and withdrawn but they still spoke to him in the same way that they always had and wouldn’t allow him to slip too far into being a monster. They knew when he needed space and they knew when to talk to him. They knew when they needed to do exactly as he asked otherwise his temper would explode and they knew when to tell him to stop being ridiculous.

 

Robert knew that he had scared them a few times with his temper and he hated that. He hated that he had snapped at them and made them fear his reactions. But sometimes he couldn’t seem to control it. It was like the beast inside him was fighting to take control. It _would_ take control eventually.

 

He looked towards the enchanted clock on the mantel-piece. The moon glowing at the top showed that he had a several days before he transformed again. The hands on the clock face didn’t show the time; instead they ticked away the days before Robert’s thirtieth birthday.

Tearing his gaze away from the mocking movement of the timepiece on the mantel, he sighed heavily.

 

He had given up all hope of ever finding someone to love him. Even if he ventured out of the castle and tried to meet people, who would ever look twice at him except in disgust?

 

He had seen the shock and revulsion plainly displayed on first Liv’s face and then Aaron’s. The first two people he had encountered in years and both of them had been horrified by his appearance. His worst fears had been confirmed.

 

‘Of course they would disgusted,’ Robert thought to himself, ‘they’re both young and attractive and I’m nothing more than a monster.’

 

The anger had drifted away now, leaving him only with a deep sense of misery. ‘The sooner I accept my fate, the better,’ he decided as he sank down onto the edge of his bed.

     

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think - feedback means so much to me! Thank you!


	3. Chapter 2

It had been a long night for Aaron. He’d had a lot of time to think.

A long time after Robert had left his cell, Aaron had still been sitting shaking on the floor. He had thought that Robert was going to hurt him and the adrenaline of the moment had taken a while to wear off.

Clearly Robert had a temper. And clearly he didn’t enjoy visitors in his home.

Even though Aaron had been convinced that Robert was about to attack him in some way, and Liv had described him as a ‘monster’, Aaron hadn’t seen any signs of violence on his sister, thank God, so maybe Robert’s bark was worse than his bite.

Well, Aaron was pretty good at handing out cutting comments, so if Robert was going to spend his time being intimidating and mean, then Aaron would just have to toughen up and start giving it back to him. He couldn’t deny that he _was_ pretty scared by Robert’s outburst. He didn’t want to be on the receiving end of his temper if he could avoid it, but he also wasn’t going to let Robert bully him.

Aaron had spent a while wondering what had happened in this place that had left Robert so isolated and angry, and he couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to leave his face so terribly scarred. But he decided that it wasn’t any of his business. And he didn’t really care anyway. It wasn’t his problem so he wasn’t going to think about it.

He had allowed himself a few moments of sadness at the realisation that he was going to be trapped here forever. His freedom was gone, even though it was willingly sacrificed. He was never going to see his home again. He was never going to see Liv or any of his friends ever again. When he felt his eyes stinging with tears, he roughly wiped them away and forced himself to stop thinking about it. If he started crying, he didn’t think he’d be able to stop.

Eventually he must have drifted off, because he became aware of bright light on the other side of his eyelids and could hear birdsong. Slowly, he forced his eyelids open, all the while hoping that he’d wake up in his own bed and find that the previous night’s events had been a horrible dream. He was disappointed. He opened his eyes to the same grey, stone walls that he had been staring at last night and his hopes were dashed.

He sat up carefully, realising that he’d slept on the floor rather than on the bed against the wall of the cell. As he rubbed his tired eyes, he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat outside the cell door and he looked up sharply.

The door was opened and the two people – what had Liv called them? Adam and Vic? – from the previous evening appeared.

“Good morning!” the woman said cheerfully. 

Aaron blinked up at them in confusion. “Is it?” he replied grumpily.

Both of them frowned slightly. “Well I’m sure you’d feel a bit brighter if you hadn’t slept on the floor,” the woman commented.

“I’d feel brighter if I was waking up in my own bed,” Aaron retorted.

“Well you will tomorrow,” the man spoke, “We’re here to escort you to your room.”

“My _room_?” Aaron spluttered. “What do you mean? Why am I not staying here?”

The two looked at one another and seemed to be having some sort of silent conversation before they turned back to Aaron, who had finally stood up.

“You are a guest at the castle, therefore you need a room,” the woman told him as though it made perfect sense.

“A _guest_?” Aaron asked, the bewilderment obvious in his tone. “But Liv was locked up in here.”

“Your sister was a prisoner,” the dark-haired man explained, “You have chosen to stay.” He said it like it was obvious. “If you’ll follow us, we’ll show you to your room.”

“Wait!” Aaron said suddenly. “What did you do with Liv last night? Is she safe?”

The two of them nodded at the same time, matching earnest expressions on their faces.

“We escorted Liv back to your village to ensure she made the journey safely. She’s quite good at getting herself into trouble, as I’m sure you’re aware,” the woman smiled. “We left her safely at home.”

Aaron nodded slightly and smiled a little. “Thank you,” he replied quietly. He suddenly felt the loss of his sister strike at his heart. 

The woman clapped her hands together suddenly. “I nearly forgot,” she announced, “I’m Vic and this is my husband, Adam. We didn’t get chance to meet properly last night.”

She stuck out her hand and Aaron shook it after a moment’s hesitation. He nodded at the man standing beside her in acknowledgement. “I’m Aaron,” he said, “But I suppose you already know that.”

“Come on then,” Vic beckoned him to the door, “It’s time to get out of here.”

 ***

Aaron had been led along corridors and through galleries, and had listened to Adam and Vic tell him all about the castle and the various things they passed on their journey. He actually found that he already quite liked the two of them. They were friendly and chatty and they seemed genuinely pleased to have Aaron there. They shared jokes and wound each other up, and Aaron was instantly reminded of himself and Liv as he watched their playful banter.

When they eventually stopped outside a door, Adam opened it with a flourish and led Aaron inside. The room was amazing. Two long windows, covered by heavy curtains, reached nearly from floor to ceiling, on either side of a beautiful fireplace. There was a huge bed covered with deep red blankets, surrounded by a wooden four-poster frame. The carpet felt spongy beneath Aaron’ feet, almost like it never been walked on. There were intricate paintings hanging on the walls but Aaron couldn’t make out any of the details thanks to the curtains being pulled across. And in the corner stood a wardrobe that was nearly as big as Aaron’ bedroom at home.

Aaron couldn’t believe this was his room. He had been vaguely aware of Vic and Adam talking to him as he stared around the space, but he forced himself to focus on the conversation.

“And you will find towels in the bottom of the wardrobe,” Adam told him.

“This hardly seems like a room for a prisoner,” Aaron said as he turned to face them.

Adam and Vic looked at one another again. Then Vic spoke. “You aren’t a prisoner here,” she told him again. “You will not be locked in and you will be free to leave this room.” She looked at Adam again before continuing. “But, you must not leave the castle grounds and under no circumstances should you go into Robert’s private chambers. Stay out of the east wing completely and you will not risk wandering into his rooms by mistake.”

Aaron’s curiosity was immediately piqued by that statement. Something must have flashed across his face though because Vic looked at him very seriously.   

“You are forbidden from entering Robert’s rooms,” she warned. “If you even attempt to enter them, I cannot imagine how violently he would react.”

Aaron nodded slightly. Yes, he was nosy and intrigued by the warning, but he didn’t have a death-wish.

“We’ll leave you to settle in a little,” Adam said eventually. “It’s still early, but once breakfast is ready, we’ll come and find you.”

Aaron thanked them and saw them out. Then he turned back to his new room. Immediately, he walked to the windows and threw the curtains open, allowing the bright, early morning sunshine to flood into the room. That was already an improvement. A beautiful room such as this shouldn’t be hidden in darkness after all.

 ***   

A week later and Aaron had decided that he hated life at the castle. Well, maybe ‘hate’ was too strong, but he _strongly_ disliked it. He couldn’t completely hate it due to the fact that he got on so well with Adam and Vic. It was impossible not to get along with them actually.

Adam was full of energy, his boundless enthusiasm making conversations easy and enjoyable.  He was bright and friendly, always willing to have a chat, and he laughed riotously at many of the things Aaron came out with. More than once, Aaron had wondered how such a wonderfully sunny person could be content to live and work in such a dark and depressing place, with such a dark and depressing man as his employer.

Vic had been a little quieter at first. Initially, she’d made all the introductions, but after that she’d seemed to be silently assessing Aaron whenever they were together. After a few days, she had started to become more open and friendly again. She had a wicked sense of humour and would often interrupt one of Adam’s stories with something totally random and sarcastic that would leave Aaron chuckling. She certainly knew how to put Adam in his place and he could see why they made such a good match as a married couple.

So Aaron didn’t completely hate the castle because of Adam and Vic’s company, but everything else about the place made it awful.

One of his biggest problems was the fact that he was bored. Even though it was a huge building, there were only so many times he could walk around it before he felt like he’d seen everything. Everything he was _allowed_ to see anyway.

There were rooms that were closed off that Aaron entered (because they weren’t in Robert’s precious east wing so he didn’t see why he shouldn’t go inside) only to find the furniture covered in heavy sheets, the curtains pulled across the windows and dust motes floating in the air, disturbed by Aaron opening the door. He often stood in the centre of the room turning in a circle, wondering why such wonderful places had been left to be filled with nothing but dust and silence.

That was another thing that Aaron couldn’t stand: the oppressive silence in the castle. If he wasn’t with Adam or Vic, Aaron found himself with nothing but the sound of his own footsteps to keep him company. It was unbearable. 

Aaron could deal with silence. He spent a lot of his time being quiet, but he also enjoyed the sound of things happening around him, people working or laughing or chattering in the street. He’d often hummed to himself softly as he’d worked on something at home and he had even enjoyed singing quietly to himself at times. He’d never have burst into song if anyone was within earshot, and he knew that Liv would never have let him live it down, but he didn’t mind if he was on his own. But despite being able to appreciate silence, being trapped in this deathly quiet place felt like torture. He was almost _afraid_ to make any sound.

After a few days though, he’d actually found himself singing softly or humming to himself as he wandered through the halls and pushed his way into abandoned rooms. At first, as soon as he’d realised what he was doing, he’d brought himself to an abrupt halt and slipped back into silence. But eventually he’d decided that he didn’t see why he shouldn’t sing a little if it made him feel better, and less alone, so he’d continued. And it wasn’t as though there was anybody around to overhear him most of the time anyway.

Since his initial introduction to Robert, Aaron had barely seen the other man. The castle was huge, but Aaron still found it hard to believe that that meant that their paths would never cross. As he had roamed the corridors and halls, Aaron hadn’t bumped into Robert once. It wasn’t that he particularly wanted to – he just found it odd.

A few times Aaron had caught sight of movement from the corner of his eye. Usually when he was on the ground floor, making his way between rooms or heading towards one of the staircases, he would see something – some flash of movement above him - on one of the galleries that overlooked the entrance hall. When he whipped his head around to look in that direction though, there was never anyone there. ‘Maybe it’s alright to be watched,’ he thought to himself bitterly, ‘but I’m certainly not allowed to do the watching.’

That was just another thing that was irritating Aaron. If he was honest with himself, he wasn’t exactly bothered that he hadn’t encountered Robert again since that first terrifying meeting. He was intimidated by the man and didn’t relish the possibility of being cornered by him again. But he was also annoyed by his attitude. What sort of master of a household such as this kept himself hidden away in the shadows? What sort of man wouldn’t reveal himself for long enough to actually speak to someone in his house?

He had voiced his annoyance to Adam who had, for once, not responded with a grin and a joke. He had fallen quiet and looked thoughtful, watching Aaron closely as though he was trying to figure something out.

“I hate him for what he’s done,” Aaron said eventually to interrupt the strange moment.

Adam’s eyebrows had drawn together at that. “I can understand why you might feel that way but…he’s not a bad person,” he said quietly. “You should try to get to know him.”

Aaron laughed bitterly. “Not so sure I really want to. And anyway, even if I did, how am I supposed to get to know him if I never _see_ him?”

 ***

It had taken Vic and Adam over a week to persuade Robert that he should probably make some effort to get to know his house guest. After his discussion with Aaron, Adam had decided that it was time to get Robert and Aaron in the same room before it was too late to build any bridges, and had obviously roped Vic into assisting him with his plan.

Robert was stubborn. He didn’t see the point in ‘getting to know’ Aaron and he certainly didn’t want to see the look of disgust on his face when he laid eyes on Robert again.

But while Robert was stubborn, Adam and Vic were persistent. They refused to leave the issue alone and worked as a very effective team to wear Robert down.

In the end, Robert reluctantly agreed to join Aaron for a meal but only if Vic and Adam were also present. It wouldn’t be unusual for Robert to sit with his sister and her husband for a meal, but he hadn’t done it since Aaron’s arrival. The way their faces lit up in happiness at his eventual agreement did little to calm the unease churning in his gut.

 ***

When Aaron made his way to the dining room for his evening meal, he found Adam and Vic standing in the corner speaking in hushed tones. He raised an eyebrow at them curiously as they turned and smiled at him oddly. Their smiles looked a little forced, maybe a little nervous, and Aaron was immediately concerned.

Glancing at the table, he saw that there were four places set at the end of the table nearest to the door and he looked back at Adam and Vic with slightly wide eyes. He had eaten his meals with the other two every night so far but they had never been joined by a fourth person. There was only one person that the final place could be set for.

“What’s going on?” he asked quickly.

“Robert has decided that he’d like to join us for supper,” Adam replied. It was sort of the truth so he didn’t feel too bad.

Suddenly Aaron didn’t have much of an appetite. He wondered if he still had chance to excuse himself and leave, but Vic was suddenly right beside him, steering him towards his chair on the far side of the table and practically forcing him to sit down.

Adam poured him a glass of wine while Vic disappeared out of the door at the other end of the room. A few minutes later, Aaron jumped in his seat as Vic pushed her way back through the door carrying four steaming bowls of soup on a large tray.

As she placed the final bowl in its position, the sound of heavy footsteps on the stone floor of the hallway outside could be heard approaching the room.

Aaron looked at Adam with wide eyes, but received nothing but a small smile in return. His heart was hammering in his chest and his palms were suddenly sweaty. He stared at the door to the dining room and held his breath.

The footsteps stopped. There was a long moment where nothing happened. Aaron was vaguely aware of Adam and Vic looking at one another, and then the handle moved and the door was opened wide.

Robert stood in the doorway, the darkness of the hall behind him making him stand out starkly as the candles in the room (Aaron suddenly realised that there were less lit than usual) cast a warm glow over him. His face looked stern as he scanned the room and then one blue eye settled on Aaron sitting at the table. Robert seemed to just stare at him for a long time before Adam distracted him by walking over to greet him. 

“Good evening,” Adam said cheerfully.

“Evening,” Robert replied bluntly, and Aaron wondered, not for the first time, how Adam and Victoria could put up with Robert’s lack of manners and general bad attitude.

 “Take your seat, Robert,” Vic said, “I’ve just served up the soup course.”

Robert strode over to the table, looked down at Aaron for a moment, and then took his seat at the head of the table. His position meant that Aaron could only see the right side of his face and he wondered if that was a purposeful arrangement to ensure that he wouldn’t be staring at the scarred side of Robert’s face during the meal.

Nobody said anything for what felt like a long time and then suddenly Vic clapped her hands together and announced that they should start eating before their food got cold. Aaron was just grateful for something to focus on, so immediately picked up his spoon.

They were all nearly at the bottom of their bowls and there had hardly been any conversation. Usually when Aaron found himself eating with Adam and Vic, they chattered away easily and told silly stories, but now it seemed like no-one new what to say. It seemed obvious to Aaron that Robert’s presence was making everyone uncomfortable.

When he glanced up from his soup, he saw Victoria waggling her eyebrows and tilting her head in his direction as she stared at Robert. Glancing to the side a little, he realised that Robert was looking back at Vic with just as much attention and they seemed to be having some sort of silent conversation that was making Robert’s mouth pull into a grimace and his nostrils flare. A final pointed look from Vic seemed to end the ‘conversation’ and suddenly Robert had flicked his gaze towards Aaron. He didn’t turn his head completely, merely angled it so that he could look at Aaron without facing him fully. 

Robert cleared his throat. Then he cleared his throat again. “How,” he started, but then cleared his throat again, “How are you, um, finding the castle?” he finally managed to ask.

Aaron was more than a little surprised. He hadn’t expected Robert to engage him in conversation at all.

“It’s alright,” he replied eventually. Even if Robert wanted to start communicating with him, Aaron still wasn’t ready to forgive and forget what had led to the current situation so he didn’t feel particularly inclined to be overly polite.

Robert’s eye twitched slightly. “And how is your room?”

“It’s fine,” Aaron replied bluntly. “Beats a cell, I suppose.”

Robert didn’t reply to that, and Aaron wasn’t sure whether it was because he didn’t know how to or he was surprised by his rudeness.

There was a minute of painful silence and Aaron was sure he could feel tension building in the room. He glanced at Vic and saw her watching Robert with slightly wide eyes.

“I would think that a beautiful room with a comfortable bed would most definitely be preferable to a prison cell,” Robert suddenly announced. “I would think that you would be grateful.” He had turned more towards Aaron, the scarring on his face visible now.

“ _Grateful_?” Aaron laughed bitterly. “You have tried to hide the fact that I’m a prisoner here by giving me a posh bedroom, but that doesn’t change the fact that this _whole castle_ is my cell.”

Robert’s hand clenched into a fist on the table. “You have no-one to blame for your captivity but yourself – you _chose_ this. If you don’t like your room, I can see that you are locked back in the tower.”

Aaron glared at him defiantly. He knew that Robert was getting angrier by the second but he didn’t want to back down. As much as Robert intimidated him, he didn’t want to show that to his captor – he had to be strong if he was going to survive here. “You can threaten me all you want; you don’t frighten me.”

Suddenly Robert’s chair scraped across the stone floor as he rose from his seat abruptly. Aaron couldn’t help the way he jumped in shock at the sudden movement and sound. He also couldn’t hide the way his eyes widened as Robert loomed over him, his eyes narrowed menacingly as he braced his hands against the arms of Aaron’s chair and leaned closer towards him.

“I think you _should_ be frightened,” he growled lowly.

With that, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room, slamming the door behind him as he went. His footsteps could be heard pounding across the floor of the hallway and gradually disappearing.

Aaron was sitting back in his seat, his knuckles white where they had gripped the arms of the chair and his heart racing in his chest. Eventually, he lifted his eyes to look across the table at Adam and Vic who wore matching looks of concern and something that looked a lot like sadness.

After a few minutes, Vic started clearing the empty bowls from the table. “I’ll go and get the mains,” she said, sounding equal parts nervous and upset. She seemed like she needed something to do to occupy herself.

“I’m sorry, Vic,” Aaron said with a shake of his head. “I can’t face anything else tonight; I’m not hungry.”

He pushed himself out of his chair and made his way to the door. He paused to wish them a ‘goodnight’ before he hurried out, up the stairs and back to his bedroom. Once there, he shut the door and flopped onto his bed.

With a deep, shuddery breath, he felt tears spill out of his eyes. He hated it here, but more than anything, he hated Robert.

***

It had been over a week since the disastrous attempt at a meal together and no-one was in a hurry to repeat the event.

Aaron had refused to leave his room for a few days, asking for all of his meals to be brought up and not venturing beyond the threshold for fear of bumping into Robert. However, as the days had slid by painfully slowly, Vic had finally convinced him that he could safely wander the halls as he had been doing before.

And Aaron had also given himself a good talking to. He was a confident person usually, but his run-in with Robert had left him nervous and unsure of himself, and he didn’t like that feeling at all. As he had sat in his room, alone in silence, he had realised that he couldn’t live like that. He was determined to show Robert that he wasn’t afraid, even though deep down he was intimidated by the reactions of the other man. So with a new resolve, he had left his room and continued to roam the castle. He wanted to avoid Robert but he wasn’t going to live the rest of his life holed up in his room in fear.       

Things went back to how they had been before the failed dinner. Aaron wandered the castle and gardens, he spent time and ate meals with Adam and Vic, and he retired to his bedroom at night. And, just as before, Aaron became aware of the fact that, sometimes, he was being watched from afar.

He didn’t like the fact that Robert was spying on him. Or at least that was what Aaron thought he was doing. Why else would he be standing around on balconies watching what Aaron was doing? Whatever reason Robert had for it, Aaron didn’t like it. It didn’t seem fair that Robert was watching him and finding out about _him_ , while Aaron didn’t ever get to stare at Robert or find out anything about his life.

It had been bothering Aaron for a few days but he realised just much it was playing on his mind when, after dinner one evening, he found himself at the top of a staircase that he had never ventured up before. He was at the top of the stairs that led to the east wing; Robert’s private rooms lay just along the corridor. 

Aaron wasn’t even sure how he’d found himself there – it hadn’t been a conscious decision, but now he had a choice to make. He could turn back, acknowledge that this had been a mistake and go back to his own room. Or he could keep going. He could explore Robert’s private rooms and maybe find out more about the mysterious man. Maybe he could finally have some of his questions answered.

Robert hadn’t exactly treated Aaron very kindly since he had arrived at the castle so maybe this was some sort of payback. He hesitated: he wasn’t the sort of person who sought vengeance in a cruel way. This was a bad idea; an act of complete defiance to disobey instructions and invade someone else’s privacy. But hadn’t Robert been spying on Aaron for weeks now? Wasn’t that basically the same thing?

Standing where he was for a long time, Aaron argued with himself. Finally, his curiosity got the better of him. It wouldn’t hurt to have a quick peek into a few rooms. They were probably all just full of old, dusty furniture anyway. He’d be quick and no-one needed to know. If he didn’t do it now, he was never going to be able to stop thinking about it. He had to do it while he had the opportunity.

As silently as possible, he made his way along the corridor. The plush carpet beneath his feet ensured that his steps were quiet. He pushed open a few doors as he went and, as predicted, found rooms with covered-up furniture inside, just like Aaron had found in so many other rooms in the castle. He wondered why Robert was so adamant about people staying away if he had nothing up here but old chairs and wardrobes.

At yet another door, Aaron pushed down the handle and peered into the room. This time there was definitely something to see.

Glancing in both directions down the hallway to check that he was still alone, Aaron slipped inside the room, leaving the door ajar so he could slip back out quietly when he was finished. He wandered into the room slowly, looking around at everything as he moved.

As Aaron had found in nearly every room in the castle, the curtains were pulled across the window. But as he approached, he realised that it was actually a glass door leading out onto a balcony. The door was slightly open leaving the drapes fluttering in the breeze, allowing the moonlight on such a clear night to illuminate the room slightly. Other than that, there were no candles lit and no fire in the hearth, so Aaron had to allow his eyes to adjust to the dimness.

The room was massive, much bigger than his bedroom on the other side of the castle. As he turned around, Aaron realised that it must have been Robert’s bedroom when he saw a huge four-poster bed against one wall. He felt his cheeks heat a little at the thought for some reason, and then silently cursed himself for being so daft.

Turning his attention to the mantel-piece, he found a peculiar clock ticking away. He studied it closely, moving nearer to try to understand what it was doing. The hands on the face certainly weren’t telling the time and Aaron wondered if it was broken. A glowing moon was suspended above the clock face and Aaron couldn’t see how it was fixed in place. The moon itself almost looked real; like a miniature version of the actual moon just sitting on Robert’s mantel-piece.

This visit searching for answers seemed to be giving Aaron nothing but more questions.

He stepped away from the puzzling device and started to make his way towards the door. Maybe he’d seen enough for one night.

As he moved though, he heard something crunch beneath his foot and he looked down. A piece of glass on the carpet had crumbled as he had stepped on it. When he looked back up, he realised it had come from the mirror, or what was left of the mirror, hanging on the wall. It looked like someone had thrown something straight at the centre of it, splintering the glass and sending shards raining down onto the floor below.

Turning away from the broken mirror just as the breeze picked up sending the curtains flapping wildly, he caught sight of something else shining in the added moonlight. Slowly, he wandered towards it and then staggered to a halt, his eyes widening as he realised that the light was reflecting off a shiny metal bar. The metal bar formed part of a large cage with a heavily fortified door.

Aaron’s mouth flapped open and he shook his head slightly. He scarcely believed what he was seeing. Was this what Robert did to his prisoners? Did he lock them up in here and torture them? Had he done that to Liv? But Liv hadn’t looked harmed in anyway. What _was_ this place?

Aaron’s mind was racing. He had seen enough. Or maybe he’d seen too much. How was he ever supposed to carry on knowing what was in this room? Knowing what Robert might do to him? Robert had told him he should be frightened and now he really was.

Backing away, still staring at the cage, he nearly jumped out of his skin when the door behind him flew open, hitting the wall opposite. He spun around immediately only to be confronted by Robert who was staring at him with fury written all over his face and tension in every line of his body. The anger was pulsing from him in waves. 

“What are you doing in here?” he demanded furiously.

“I…I…” Aaron stammered. He took a step backwards as Robert took one further into the room.

“You were told never to come here!” Robert shouted angrily. “You had _no right_ to come here!”

Again Aaron failed to form words. He was absolutely terrified and couldn’t shake the thought of that cage from his mind.

He was shaken from his thoughts by Robert advancing on him. He backed away as far as he could, not daring to take his eyes off the man approaching him. His back collided with the wall solidly.

“Stay away from me, you monster,” he said desperately.

Robert stopped in his tracks at Aaron’s words. Some awfully painful emotion flashed across his face before his expression hardened again.

“Get out,” he snarled.

When Aaron hesitated, Robert practically roared at him, a wild fury flashing in his one good eye. “Get out! Get out and never come back!”

Aaron didn’t wait to be told again. He ducked past Robert and ran out of the room as fast as he could on shaking legs. He ran along the corridor and down the stairs. At the bottom, he only paused for a second, gasping for breath, before he ran straight to the large door of the castle, ripped it open and ran outside. He made it to the iron gates, pulled the heavy metal open as quickly as he could and slipped through as soon as the gap was big enough. His promise to stay at the castle meant nothing now; Robert had told him to leave and he was going to do just that. He didn’t look back as he ran into the night. He would rather take his chances in the forest than face what was inside the castle.      


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick warning for injuries/blood in this chapter. Nothing too graphic, but just thought I'd mention it.
> 
> Hope you enjoy. Feedback always makes me write faster! Thanks.

“What happened?” Vic asked in shock, as she hurried into Robert’s room.

She had heard Robert shouting and, as she had appeared from her own room to find out what was going on, she had seen Aaron tearing out of the castle like the hounds of hell were chasing him.

Robert continued pacing across the room, ignoring the question as he still shook with anger.

“Robert?” Vic tried again as she watched him. “What’s going on?”

Finally, Robert came to a halt and turned to face Vic. “Aaron was in here,” he ground out. His hands were clenching and unclenching as he visibly tried to calm his temper.

Vic gasped and shook her head in disbelief. “He saw…” she trailed off, waving her hand around.

Robert huffed out an angry breath. “He must have seen everything.”

“What did he say?” Vic asked immediately. “What did _you_ say?”

It must have sounded like an accusation to Robert because he glared at Vic in annoyance.

“He didn’t _say_ anything,” Robert paused, and then he shook his head sadly. “Well, he didn’t say anything other than calling me a monster.”

“Oh Rob,” Vic sighed sympathetically. She knew how Robert despised his appearance and how the creature inside him was slowly trying to take control. And she knew how desperately Robert was trying to fight it. But she also knew that in Robert’s darkest moments and deepest despair, when he lost all hope, he thought of himself as a monster; he hated himself and what he became with every full moon. 

“He’s right,” Robert said quietly. The anger was gone now. It had been drained away and replaced by that hopelessness that seemed to swallow Robert whole.

Before Vic could respond, Adam burst into the room panting heavily. “He’s gone,” he gasped as he tried to catch his breath.

“What?” Vic asked with a frown.

“Aaron…he’s gone. He ran out of the gate and into the forest. I tried to go after him but he was long gone by the time I made it to the gate,” Adam told them.

Robert turned away and walked to the door onto the balcony. “I told him to get out and never return. I meant for him to leave the east wing but he obviously took my instruction to mean more.”

“You have to go after him and bring him back,” Adam said immediately.

With a deep sigh, Robert turned back around to face them. “There’s no point,” he said. “He should go. Let him return to his home. Let him tell everyone he knows about what he has seen here.”

“But…you could bring him back,” Adam repeated. He sounded desperate for some reason.

“He hates it here…and he hates _me_ ,” Robert said with a shake of his head. “If he returns home, he’ll be happy. Someone like him could never be happy here with a monster like me. I don’t want to keep him trapped here – this was the chance he needed to be free.”

Adam looked like he was about to speak again but Vic stepped forwards and beat him to it.

“You are not a monster, Robert. And Aaron doesn’t _know_ you - if he did, he would see you differently. But regardless of that, I really think you have to go after him.”

Robert looked ready to argue again but Vic took another step closer and spoke again.

“Robert, he’s gone tearing off into the forest, all alone, in the middle of the night. We both know what sorts of creatures are lurking out there. He’s in danger. You _have_ to go after him.”

***

Aaron hadn’t stopped running.

After tearing out of the castle and through the gates, he had headed straight into the forest and had kept running until he could see nothing around him but thick undergrowth and masses of trees. Turning back for a second he realised that he couldn’t see the castle at all, but he still continued to run.

Eventually, exhaustion forced him to slow his pace to a walk. He was breathing heavily and his heart was hammering in his chest. Once he had caught his breath, he started to look around his surroundings and realised that he actually had no idea where he was. In his panic, he had blindly crashed through the forest without a thought of where he was heading. Darkness had enveloped the forest and, even though it was a clear night, the moonlight wasn’t particularly penetrating the thick leaf canopy.

There weren’t many options available so Aaron continued walking, trying to make some sense of where he was heading as he moved.

As he walked, he replayed the events of the night in his head. He thought about what he had seen in Robert’s room and wondered what it all meant. He had been confused and frightened by what he’d seen, but nowhere near as frightened as he had been when Robert had appeared.

The look on Robert’s face had been almost murderous; for a split second, Aaron thought he was actually going to kill him. And the way he had erupted with anger at Aaron’ presence was truly terrifying.

Aaron had done the right thing by running away.

But if that was true, why did he feel so strange about it? He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he almost felt upset. And not just upset because he’d had the fright of his life: upset because he felt like he shouldn’t have left like he did. Surely he shouldn’t feel like that. He was free now. He could go home. So why didn’t that feel as good as it should? He had a strange sense of unfinished business somehow.

Robert’s reaction had been extreme, but Aaron knew that he shouldn’t have been in his rooms. He had been explicitly warned to stay away and he had still gone snooping around. And while he was scared by Robert’s over-reaction and fury, he also knew that he had invaded the other man’s privacy and couldn’t blame him for being angry.

Stumbling over a branch on the floor, he suddenly stopped walking. Maybe he should turn back. Robert had told him to leave but maybe he didn’t mean for Aaron to leave the castle completely, maybe he just wanted him to get out of his room.

This whole evening had been a disaster and Aaron was starting to wonder if he had made a mistake.

Standing in one spot for a long while, he tried to make a decision. He was still silently debating what to do when he heard a low growl behind him. Turning around slowly (he didn’t really want to know what was behind him) he staggered backwards slightly at the sight of a huge wolf, teeth bared, watching him from a few feet away. A tiny gasp of horror slipped past his lips as he looked into the creature’s eyes. A soft rustling nearby forced Aaron’s eyes to move to the left a little and he saw another wolf come slinking out from the trees to stand close to the first.

Nothing happened for what seemed like a long time, but could have only actually been a few seconds, as Aaron’s eyes flicked between the two beasts and he silently considered his options. Then he turned and ran.

If he’d thought he had run fast earlier in the evening, it was nothing compared to how he moved now. He heard the snarls from behind him and knew that the wolves had given chase. He had no hope of outrunning them. With an almost overwhelming feeling of panic, he realised that he was going to die, ripped apart by slavering, blood-thirsty creatures in the middle of the forest.

Crashing into a small clearing, he looked towards one of the trees wondering if he could stretch up to the low hanging branches and climb out of reach, but even as he moved towards it, the wolves burst out of the tree line and saw him. They slowed to a walk, never taking their eyes off him, as they stalked their prey.

Aaron turned to face them. He had nowhere to run and if he attempted to start climbing he knew they would jump on him from behind and pull him down.

Swallowing thickly, he closed his eyes.

There was a snarl and Aaron braced himself for the pain that he knew was coming, but then another set of sounds filled the air – a horse’s hooves hitting the ground rapidly, the snapping of branches, and someone shouting angrily.

Aaron’s eyes snapped open as a large black horse galloped into the clearing heading straight for the two wolves. The horse came between Aaron and the creatures and, as it turned, Aaron saw Robert in the saddle, furious expression on his face and a flaming torch in his hand. As he arrived in the clearing, he threw the still burning torch to the ground near Aaron and pulled his sword from his belt.

Robert glanced at him quickly but then turned his attention back to the wolves that appeared to be regrouping after the initial shock and now paced in front of the horse. They clearly weren’t willing to give up on their prey.

One of the creatures moved forwards, snapping at the horse’s legs viciously. But Robert and his horse held firm, and he swung his sword expertly when the wolf got too close.

Aaron backed away slightly, frightened that he would be trampled on if the horse reared up, or picked off by one of the wolves if they managed to get around the obstacle in their way. His back hit the tree that he had intended to climb up but he still didn’t dare turn away from the scene before him.

Robert was shouting at the wolves angrily as they seemed to take turns to come at him. He looked to be holding them off, but one of them suddenly jumped up, snapping at the horse’s face and this time the horse twisted away in fright. The other wolf seemed to seize the opportunity as the horse turned. Robert’s blind eye now faced the beast and as he desperately moved to turn the horse around, the wolf leapt at him, sinking its teeth into Robert’s shoulder. He cried out in pain and shock as the creature clung on viciously and dragged him from his saddle down onto the ground.

Swinging his sword frantically, Robert managed to catch the wolf across the side and it howled loudly and horribly as bright red blood gushed from the wound. It limped a few paces away before falling to its side.

The second wolf threw its head back and let out a long cry before it set its sights on Robert again. It began stalking towards him; the intent was clear on its face. Its target was wounded, ready to be finished off.  

Gasping in pain and struggling to hold his arm up, Robert turned to look at Aaron steadily.

“Run, Aaron,” he panted.

“I can’t just _leave_ you,” Aaron replied quickly.

“ _Go_ ,” Robert urged desperately. “You have to get away from here while you still can.”

He turned away then, back towards the wolf, ready to face the creature that was probably going to kill him. His shoulder was screaming in pain and he couldn’t lift his arm to raise his sword.

The wolf was growling as it stalked forwards slowly.

Just as it prepared to pounce on Robert, Aaron rushed forwards, yelling and waving the discarded torch that Robert had been carrying. He swung it wildly at the wolf and caught it hard in the face. The wolf staggered back, letting out a pained whimper before it ran for the tree line.

Aaron immediately turned back to Robert, who was staring at him in shock. The pain was clearly etched on his face as he pushed himself back towards the tree that Aaron had been leaning against only minutes before.

Kneeling down in front of him, Aaron reached out to him but then hesitated. The bright gleam of blood all over his shoulder, chest and arm was visible even in the darkness of the forest.

Robert shook his head slightly: his eyelids were drooping heavily.

“You need to get away from here, Aaron,” he told him again. “The rest of the pack will come. Take the horse…get to safety. Go back to your village.”

“What about you?” Aaron asked in shock. He didn’t understand what Robert was proposing. How was he going to get back to the castle without his horse?

“Don’t worry about me,” Robert said softly. “Just go.”

Aaron’s eyes were wide as he realised that Robert planned to let the wolves come and finish him off. He was willing to sacrifice himself to ensure that Aaron got away.

Pushing himself back to his feet, Aaron ran to the horse, which thankfully hadn’t bolted, and led it back towards Robert.

“I’m not leaving you here,” he said firmly as he reached out his hand to Robert. “Come on, you need to get on the horse and I can’t lift you.”

Robert looked at him in confusion but actually did as he was told. Slowly and unsteadily, he managed to get to his feet and, with Aaron’s help, he climbed up into the saddle.

Aaron clambered up behind him and, although it was far from comfortable, he spurred the horse into movement. He knew that Robert was right: the rest of the pack would come to investigate after hearing the cries of the first two beasts, and he really didn’t want to be in the area when they arrived.

As quickly as he dared, Aaron encouraged the horse on. He was grateful that the creature seemed to know where it was heading because Aaron had no idea and Robert was swaying precariously in the saddle, clearly slipping in and out of awareness as they rode, so he wasn’t going to be able to navigate.

As they rode, Aaron began to feel a damp patch appearing on his own shirt and he realised with a shudder that it was Robert’s blood soaking into the material where he was leaning back against him. They needed to get back to the castle quickly before Robert bled to death.

His thoughts were a mess. Only mere hours ago he had been terrified that Robert was going to attack him. He had fled the castle, terrified of Robert’s rage and desperate to escape, but now, here he was, racing to get Robert back to the castle where he could hopefully recover from his injuries.

He had thought that Robert would be glad to see the back of him when he ran from the castle. He obviously didn’t want Aaron in his home. So why had he come after him? Was it because Aaron was his ‘prisoner’ and he didn’t want him to escape? But if that was the case, why would Robert have risked his own life to save Aaron? Why wouldn’t he just have let the wolves finish him off? Why would he have told Aaron to run and leave him behind?

He didn’t understand anything that had happened since he had set foot in the east wing. All he knew for sure was that there was a lot more to Robert than he had initially realised.

***

The sound of a wolf howling from somewhere in the forest sent a cold chill down Aaron’s spine and he never thought that he’d be so pleased to see Robert’s home standing just beyond the trees. Without hesitation he rode up to the gates, jumped down and pushed them open. As he took the reins and led the horse through, Adam and Victoria appeared at the doorway and came hurrying down the stone steps towards them. Another howl split the night air and Aaron quickly moved to close the heavy gates behind them.

“What happened?” Adam asked as he rushed towards the horse and caught sight of Robert slumped forwards in the saddle.

“I was chased by two wolves,” Aaron replied as calmly as he could. “Robert saved me before they attacked. But one of them wounded him – he’s lost a lot of blood.”

Vic and Adam came up alongside the horse and helped manoeuvre Robert down from the saddle. He groaned in pain and looked at them blearily as they supported him, one at each side.

“His shoulder…” Aaron started to warn them to be careful but then cut himself off. It wasn’t really his place, was it?

Robert’s good eye lifted to him and he looked at him as he blinked slowly at him a few times.

There was something on the tip of Aaron’s tongue but his throat had gone dry suddenly. It almost looked as though Robert wanted to say something too but, before either of them managed it, Robert’s eyelids fluttered and finally fell closed.

Without waiting any more, Adam and Victoria took Robert’s weight between them and lifted him up the steps and through the front door.

Aaron watched them disappear and looked at the horse that, even after its traumatic ride in the forest, was standing patiently next to him. This was his moment. He could go. In the forest Robert had told him to take the horse – he had offered it to him. He had told him to go home, back to his village: he was free. He could climb onto the horse now and leave all of this behind.

But something was pulling him towards the castle, something was telling him not to leave.

He tried to tell himself that it was because he didn’t want to go back into the forest and risk encountering an angry wolf pack but that wasn’t it. There was something much greater urging him to stay.

He stroked the horse’s face and said a quiet ‘thank you’ before making his way up the steps and through the door, following the route the others had taken a few minutes before.

Once inside the castle, Aaron easily located where Adam and Vic had taken Robert. They had carried him into one of the sitting rooms on the ground floor: the door was open and the warm light of a fire burning inside the room was spilling out into the hallway.

When he walked into the room, Vic looked up at him with an expression that was mildly surprised but also pleased.

“Can I help?” Aaron asked as he approached cautiously. He didn’t know how grateful any of the three residents of the castle would be seeing as it was because of him that Robert was hurt.

Vic smiled and nodded slightly. “Of course,” she said quietly. “Adam’s gone to get clean water but if you could cut this up into strips that would help.” She handed him a large piece of linen and a knife and Aaron set about cutting the material ready to be used as a bandage.

Adam soon returned with a large basin of water and wide eyes. He looked anxious, but did a double-take when he saw Aaron standing in the room. “I’m glad you’re still here,” he said kindly before he moved around to stand beside Vic. “You’re hurt,” he suddenly said as he pointed at Aaron’s chest.

“No, no, it’s not my blood,” Aaron replied immediately. “It’s Robert’s…he was very brave.”

Adam and Vic both looked grim as they stared down at the wounded man who was lying unconscious on the chaise longue.

“Adam…” Victoria started, a tremor in her voice, but her husband cut her off before she could speak her thoughts. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards him so he could place a kiss to the top of her head.

“Come on,” he said taking charge, “We need to take his shirt off so we can see the damage and get the wound cleaned.” When Victoria still looked worried, chewing on her lower lip nervously, Adam patted her back gently.

“He’ll be alright, Vic,” he told her. “Come on - help me get him sat up.”

They set to work, calling Aaron over to help pull Robert’s torn shirt over his head. Aaron was incredibly grateful that Robert was unconscious because he knew that he was blushing, but he also knew that Robert would probably hate to be treated in this way even if it was for his own good.

As Vic carefully cleaned the blood from Robert’s back, arms and chest, Aaron couldn’t help but stare at the strong muscles flexing in Robert’s back, the smooth freckled skin that covered his body and the soft hair at the nape of his neck. He also couldn’t help but wonder at the scars that marked Robert’s flesh. Old wounds, long since healed, travelled down his back – three long scratches, just like the ones on his face, left thick white scars diagonally across his spine.

It took a long time before the wound seemed clean enough. Only then did Adam set about the grisly task of stitching the torn skin together. He sent Vic away to bring more fresh water because her nervous twitching and fretting was too much to deal with while trying to focus on such a task. Aaron remained where he was, supporting Robert in an upright position. He felt like he owed him that much.

Eventually, Adam finished the stitches, cleaned the wound again and tightly bound the injury in strips of linen. He washed his hands and sighed heavily as he finally allowed the severity of the situation to sink in. He had worked on instinct, knowing that he had to act quickly and carefully to help Robert, but now his job was done he felt a little weak with the knowledge that someone he cared about was seriously injured and still in danger. He looked at his hands and found them shaking slightly.

When he turned around, he found Aaron watching him from beside the fire. Aaron’s eyes flicked back to Robert who was lying, still unconscious, on the chaise longue with a blanket tucked around him carefully.

“You both really care about him,” Aaron said quietly. It was a statement, but Adam could tell that Aaron was questioning it.

“We do,” he replied simply as he dried his hands. He cleared his throat softly. “Have you noticed that I don’t call him ‘master’ or ‘sire’?” he asked.

For the first time Aaron realised that that was true. He had only ever heard the two of them call Robert by his first name or even a shortened form occasionally. He looked at Adam thoughtfully.

“Robert isn’t our ‘master’,” Adam told him. “We don’t call him by a title because he insists that we don’t. He’s much more than the master of this house; he’s…well, he’s family, I guess. You know that Victoria is his sister and you may think that that is the only reason why she stays here, but there’s more to it than that. She loves her brother. And at first, I thought the same as you: that Robert is…hard to like, to put it mildly. And sometimes he can be difficult. I’ve known him for many years, I worked here in the castle, and when I started seeing Vic he was angry about it and tried to see me off, and I hated him for that. But I realised that it was only because he cares so much about her and wanted what he thought was best for her. A long time ago, he was selfish and treated other people badly but he’s changed a lot in the last few years. I can’t explain it properly…I know that you haven’t had the best of starts to your…relationship with him, and believe me when I say, I know he’s not always easy to get to know or to talk to, but he’s a good person – truly.”

Aaron was looking at him cautiously. He couldn’t help but look back at the injured man lying nearby.

“But…what about his temper? And…what about all the things in the east wing?” he asked knowing that he shouldn’t because it was his snooping in the east wing that had caused the evening’s drama in the first place, but also feeling desperate for some answers to the questions rushing through his mind.

Adam seemed to consider what he’d said and nodded slightly in understanding. “I know that you think that Robert’s a monster…but he’s not, not at all. I know he has a temper and I know he doesn’t seem very friendly, but you’d see him differently if you got to know him. And I _know_ he doesn’t make that easy. I never thought I’d get on with him, but I’ve seen a different side to him. I don’t stay here just because I’m married to his sister – not anymore. He’s…well, he just needs some understanding. There are things that I can’t explain to you – I wish I could but I can’t, and neither can Vic or even Robert – but please, just try to see past what’s on the surface.”

Aaron chewed his lower lip slightly as he thought over what Adam had said. He seemed almost desperate for Aaron to give Robert a chance; he seemed utterly convinced that Robert was a good person underneath it all and like he wanted Aaron to find that out for himself too.

He glanced back at Robert’s sleeping face and wondered for the second time that night whether there was more to Robert than what met the eye.  


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your feedback on the last chapter - see it really did make me write faster for this update! Comments and kudos really do encourage me to work more quickly on the next part, so keep 'em coming please.

It was a long night for the three conscious people in the sitting room.

Not wanting to disturb Robert by moving him into his own room, the decision had been made to leave him where he was, lying on the same couch that he had been treated on when he had been brought back into the castle.

As Robert slept fitfully, Vic, Adam and Aaron had kept a vigil in the room. Adam and Vic had insisted that Aaron should go up to his room and sleep after his traumatic night in the forest, but Aaron was adamant that he wanted to stay and help take care of Robert if he could. In many ways he felt responsible for what had happened and that he owed the injured man in some way for saving his life. Not only that, but he also couldn’t stop the events of the evening and the things that Adam had said to him from racing through his mind, so he knew that sleep wouldn’t come easily even if he went upstairs.

Eventually, dawn arrived but Robert showed no sign of regaining consciousness willingly. Robert’s eyes hadn’t opened since his eyelids had fallen shut outside the castle. The only sign of life from the man was the deep rise and fall of his chest as he slept and the occasional groan or murmur as he shifted slightly on the chaise longue.

Aaron didn’t know whether it was a blessing or a curse that Robert was unconscious. He knew that if the other man was awake he would be feeling terrible pain in his shoulder but having him lying so lifelessly was an uncomfortable sight. He wasn’t sure he was ready to face how Robert might react to him when he woke up, but he also didn’t enjoy seeing him like this.

Despite his racing thoughts, eventually the exhaustion Aaron felt caught up with him and the pull of sleep dragged him into darkness. He hadn’t moved from his position in a large wingback chair near the fire and Vic and Adam didn’t have the heart to wake him and persuade him to go up to his bed. They didn’t think they’d have much success anyway.

When Adam disappeared back to the kitchens with the breakfast pots, Robert started to stir.

Vic was immediately by his side, speaking to him quietly and encouraging him to wake up.

With a low, pained groan, Robert’s eyelids lifted and one deep brown eye peered up at Vic in confusion.

“What’s…” Robert croaked out but didn’t manage anymore.

 “It’s alright,” Vic soothed him quietly. “You were injured in the forest last night.”

Robert’s face scrunched up in a frown. “The forest?” he asked, his voice rough.

“You went after Aaron. There were wolves and you got hurt.”

Robert’s eyes widened as he seemed to suddenly remember what had happened.

“Aaron?” he asked, concern evident in just that one word, as he tried to push himself up, only to cry out as the wound on his shoulder sent pain shooting through him.

“Calm down,” Vic said. She placed her hands on her brother’s shoulder carefully and pushed him back down onto the couch gently. Then she stepped to the side slightly so Robert could see around her. “Aaron is right here.”

Robert looked over at the sleeping figure curled up in the huge chair, and Vic didn’t miss the look of relief that flashed over his face.

Deciding that now wasn’t the time to over-think the reasons why Robert might have been so concerned about Aaron, Vic reassured her brother that everything was going to be alright, told him that he needed to rest, and reminded him not to move too suddenly next time he woke up. While she did this, she carefully helped Robert to sit up for long enough to drink some sweet tea. It didn’t take long before Robert had drifted back into a deep sleep.

When Adam returned from the kitchens, Vic filled him in on Robert’s brief period of consciousness. Between them they decided to take it in turns to sit with Robert so Vic disappeared to her room to try to catch up on some sleep while Adam took the first watch in the sitting room.

Aaron had remained fast asleep in the chair for a few hours but when he eventually woke up with a start, Adam filled him in on what had happened while he had been resting. Aaron was still determined to stay and he managed to persuade Adam that it made more sense for two of them to sit with Robert anyway.

They took it in turns to stay by Robert’s side, two of them in the room while the third went for some rest and, even though they hadn’t done much, they soon found that darkness was falling over the castle again. Robert had only woken up briefly throughout the day and they were all concerned about him.

During the night, Robert began to mutter to himself in his sleep and he tried to push the blankets away from his body. They soon discovered that he was burning up and they quickly realised he had a fever. The now infected wound on his shoulder was cleaned and redressed. Robert remained unconscious the entire time that Vic worked on the gruesome injury which concerned her all the more.

The vigil of watching over Robert continued throughout the following day and through the night again. Finally, much to everyone’s relief, the fever broke, but they all continued their watch over Robert, taking turns to go to rest every few hours.

While he was sitting with Robert, Aaron had started reading one of the many books from the shelves in the room. Reading by candlelight was fine at night but during the day he had decided that he had no choice but to open the thick curtains at the window to let some sunlight into the room.

He knew that, for some reason, Robert seemed to want to permanently keep the castle as dark as possible. Aaron found it incredibly depressing and hated the fact that the daylight was blocked out by heavy curtains and drapes at every window. The whole castle was shrouded in darkness, giving it an ominous feeling, and Aaron thought it seemed a shame that such an amazing building was so dull and lifeless. 

While he was aware that Robert wouldn’t approve of him pulling the curtains away from the long windows in the sitting room and letting the sunlight spill in, he reasoned that Robert was still unconscious and even if he did wake up, Aaron could simply close the curtains again. And anyway, how was he supposed to read if he couldn’t see because of how gloomy it was in the room?

Vic had wandered off to the kitchen to prepare something for their lunch, leaving Aaron alone in the room with the still-sleeping Robert. The first time that he had been left alone with the wounded man, Aaron had been anxious that Robert would wake up, see Aaron sitting there and promptly yell at him again. But after several occasions of being left in the room, Robert had shown no signs of suddenly regaining consciousness just because he had sensed that Aaron was alone, so the worry had soon been forgotten.

Sitting in the large chair that had become his favourite, with his head bowed over the book that was open on his lap, Aaron had no idea that he was being silently watched.

When Robert started to wake up, everything felt fuzzy in his mind. He knew there was pain radiating from his shoulder but that was the only clear thing he was aware of. He lay very still, having a vague recollection of Vic telling him not to move, and tried to piece together what had happened in his mind.

The events leading to his injury came back to him surprisingly quickly. He remembered finding Aaron in the east wing and being filled with shame that he had seen everything that he was hiding there. His self-loathing had quickly morphed into anger at the other man for invading his privacy and he remembered shouting at Aaron and stomping towards him in a rage. He wasn’t even sure what he had intended to do. He wasn’t going to _hurt_ Aaron; he just wanted him to leave. But he remembered the look of horror and fear on Aaron’s face as he had approached him; he would probably never forget that expression because it just confirmed everything that Robert already believed about himself.  

He recalled his conversation with Adam and Vic, his hopelessness at the situation and then the realisation that he had to go after Aaron because otherwise he would probably end up lost in the forest, if not dead thanks to a hungry wolf pack.

Robert didn’t like wolves at the best of times but he had been filled with even more hatred for the creatures when he had ridden into the clearing to find Aaron pinned against a tree with two of them about to attack.

He had known as soon as he had felt the wolf’s teeth sink into his flesh that he was going to die and he had accepted his fate willingly. It had been an easy decision to tell Aaron to take the horse and flee, leaving him to face his end in a violent but somehow fitting way. But Aaron had surprised him completely by forcing him up and into the saddle and getting both of them back to the castle. The last thing that Robert clearly remembered was looking at Aaron as Adam and Vic held him up, wondering why he hadn’t just left Robert to die.       

There were vague memories after that of his sister and her husband tending to his wounds, forcing him to sit up and drink blessedly cool water, speaking to him gently. But nothing seemed all that solid in his mind and he didn’t have the energy to keep chasing the memories.

Slowly, he blinked his eyes open and then squeezed them closed again immediately. Lying with his eyes shut, he realised that the back of his eyelids seemed to be glowing with a bright orange. It had been a long time since Robert had woken up to something like that, but he remembered the sensation of sunlight across his face. Wherever he was lying, the curtains in the room were obviously open. The thought made him feel uncomfortable – it was much easier to hide what you were in darkness and shadows.

Knowing that he had to face the brightness eventually, he forced his eyes open carefully to allow himself time to adjust to the light. Squinting slightly, he realised that he was in the large sitting room on the ground floor of the castle and the curtains of the room were most definitely open.

Turning his head just a little, he found that he was not alone in the room. He drew in a quiet breath at the sight of Aaron, looking rather dwarfed by the massive chair he was occupying. He was stunned that Aaron was even still in the castle, let alone sitting with him in this room. He had been sure that Aaron would have taken his opportunity to get away as soon as he could – Robert wouldn’t have blamed him. But there he was, sitting in the chair, reading a book, looking completely at ease.

Robert studied him carefully for a while.

Since Aaron had arrived, Robert had been watching him quietly from afar, which he knew seemed strange and somewhat creepy. It was just that Robert had no idea how he was supposed to interact with someone as beautiful as Aaron when he himself was so hideous. As soon as Robert had laid eyes on Aaron, he had found him attractive and while it seemed almost torturous to look at someone that he could never hope to have, he couldn’t stop himself. So Robert had often found himself hidden in the shadows, watching as Aaron wandered the halls and corridors of the castle. He could look from a distance because he was sure that Aaron wouldn’t want him getting too close.

This was the first real opportunity that Robert had had to actually look at Aaron in close proximity without them spitting angry words or sarcastic comments at one another. It was the first time that Robert had been able to openly look at Aaron without feeling ashamed of his own appearance when Aaron looked back at him.

So he spent what seemed like a long time marvelling at the man sitting before him. If Robert had thought that Aaron was attractive as he roamed around in the darkness of the castle, it was nothing compared to how he looked sitting with the sunlight shining on him. Everything about him seemed to glow somehow: the sun highlighting strands in Aaron’s soft dark hair, his skin tanned by time spent outside, and his crystal blue eyes sparkling as they moved from the book on his lap to look directly at Robert.

Robert’s own eyes widened as he realised he’d been caught staring and he watched a similarly shocked expression appear on Aaron’s face as they looked at one another for a long moment.

Aaron looked away first as he nervously fidgeted with the book before standing up suddenly.

“Oh, um, sorry,” he muttered, “I, um, I’d better shut the curtains…I’m sure you want them closed again. I just, um, couldn’t see to read so I thought I’d open them but the sun probably woke you so, um,” he was rambling as he quickly walked over to the window but as he reached up Robert called out to stop him.

“Don’t,” he said, realising too late that it sounded rather sharp.

When Aaron turned to him, hand hovering in the air, he looked confused but also wary, like he was ready to run at any moment.

“Leave them…please,” Robert said more softly. He cleared his throat slightly, knowing his voice sounded strained after lack of use. “It looks…better in here with some light.”

He didn’t really know what had come over him. He still preferred the darkness and gloom, still felt protected by its cloaking shadows, but for some reason he didn’t want Aaron to block out the light again. Robert knew that in this brightness Aaron could see every part of his appearance that he hated so much, but the desire to see Aaron in the full light seemed to overcome that fear.

Slowly, Aaron lowered his hand but he remained where he was standing, looking over at Robert nervously.

“Um,” he glanced towards the doorway, hoping that someone would interrupt the awkward encounter. “Vic should be back in a minute: she went to the kitchens.”

Robert nodded once and then looked away from Aaron, expecting him to disappear out of the door at any moment. He was surprised when he heard Aaron shuffle back towards his chair and then speak again.

“How are you feeling?” he asked quietly.

Robert looked over at him and considered his answer. He hadn’t been expecting any of this so he needed some time to get his thoughts in order.

He hummed thoughtfully. “My shoulder feels like it’s on fire and I feel kind of drained, but it could be worse.” He would have shrugged if he could, but the tightly wound bandages wrapped around his shoulder prevented any such movement and he knew that was probably for the best.

Aaron was staring at him and chewing on his lower lip agitatedly. He opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something else, but snapped it shut again and tore his gaze away from Robert when the door opened and Vic came marching back into the room.

“You’re awake!” Vic exclaimed excitedly. “You gave us such a scare; you had a terrible fever and the wound’s been infected but I knew you’d fight it off.”

Robert merely nodded at Vic as she rambled on. He tried to catch Aaron’s eye again but the other man didn’t look in his direction again.

“I’ll go and tell Adam the good news,” Aaron said instead as he pushed himself out of the chair and quickly made his way to the door. He paused when he got there, turned briefly to Robert and said, “I’m glad you’re feeling better, Robert.” Then he turned and disappeared out of the door.

With raised eyebrows, Vic smiled at Robert like she’d just witnessed something truly wonderful.

Robert ignored her, choosing to close his eyes again and feign sleep until Adam undoubtedly came bursting in like an overgrown puppy, excited to see the patient.

 

***

Aaron didn’t return to the sitting room for the rest of the day. He decided that it was his turn to catch up on some rest: if it happened to be his turn as soon as Robert had regained consciousness, it was merely a coincidence.

The problem was Aaron didn’t know how to behave around Robert anymore – if he ever had.

When he had first found himself trapped at the castle, he had resented Robert for keeping him prisoner. That had swiftly started to become hatred for the other man as Robert lurked in the shadows and they clashed if they were near one another. But all the time, Aaron had been wondering what had happened to Robert to leave him hidden away in the shadows in this dark place.

Even though he had tried to act like he wasn’t, Aaron had been scared of Robert. He feared Robert’s temper and didn’t particularly want to be on the receiving end of his fury. Despite that though, Aaron knew he was asking for trouble by being rude to Robert when he encountered him and entering the east wing when he had been explicitly told to stay away. He was good at winding people up and had felt a little bit of pleasure in knowing he was getting under Robert’s skin. That small amount of joy had quickly disappeared though in the face of Robert’s furious rage. Aaron had been terrified by Robert’s reaction leading to his fateful decision to run away.

And the events of that night had only left more confusion in Aaron’s mind.

Robert had _saved_ him. He had saved him at great cost to himself – he had nearly lost his own life to protect Aaron. Aaron just couldn’t understand why he would do that. It hurt his head to try to figure it out.

So he needed a few hours away from everyone else to be able to just _think_. He had to try to straighten out his thoughts. Maybe try to find a way to fit what he had initially thought about Robert with what he now knew, and what Vic and Adam had told him about Robert.

For some reason that Aaron didn’t want to explore too deeply right now, he hadn’t slept very well while Robert was so ill. So, after lying awake thinking things through for a while, he actually fell into a deep sleep and didn’t stir again until the next morning.

Knowing that he couldn’t hide away in his room any longer, he made his way back to the sitting room. Adam was dozing in a chair and looked up blearily when Aaron pushed the door open.

“Morning,” he said before yawning widely.

“Good morning,” Aaron replied. He glanced over at the sleeping figure covered with a blanket on the chaise longue. “Have you been sitting with him all night?”

“Most of it,” Adam said as he rubbed his eyes. “I told Vic to go up just after midnight. Don’t think we need two of us down here anymore.”

Aaron’s eyes tracked over Robert’s form. He looked much better this morning; his skin was a healthier tone and he appeared to be sleeping peacefully, his face relaxed.

“I can stay with him now,” he said, turning back to Adam. “You go and get some rest.”

The look of surprise on Adam’s face was obvious as he blinked at Aaron quickly.

“Are you sure?” he asked, but he was already pushing himself out of his chair.

Aaron nodded. “Of course,” he replied simply.

Adam gave him a long, thoughtful look, and then patted him on the shoulder as he walked past him and out of the door.

Aaron blew out a breath. Robert hadn’t stirred during the quiet conversation, so Aaron made his way back to his favourite chair, picked up his book from where he had left it when he scurried out yesterday and sat down.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but eventually Robert started to wake up.

Aaron was more prepared this time. He had been glancing up to check on Robert every so often rather than getting completely immersed in his book so he wouldn’t be caught off guard to find Robert openly staring at him this time. When Robert groaned quietly and shuffled on the couch, Aaron was immediately watching him, waiting for him to open his eyes.

After a few minutes, Robert’s eyes opened and his good eye looked around the room immediately. He soon spotted Aaron in his chair. Their roles were reversed this time as Robert found himself being watched carefully.

They looked at one another for a short while.

“How are you feeling this morning?” Aaron asked.

Robert cleared his throat. “Better, thank you,” he replied simply.

“Would you like something to eat? I’m sure you’d like a drink,” Aaron said as he closed his book and stood up.

Robert watched him. “Um, yes, I would, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to do that.” He looked around as though he was expecting Adam or Vic to wander in at any moment.

Aaron shook his head slightly. “It’s alright. I’m looking after you at the minute so I can do it.”

Robert looked a little lost for words as Aaron quickly made his way towards the door.

It didn’t take long before Aaron was entering the room again, carrying a tray with a bowl of steaming porridge and a cup of tea for Robert.

As he pushed his way through the door, he saw Robert settling back against the cushions that had been propped at the end of the couch with a pained frown on his face.

“What are you doing?” Aaron asked before he could stop himself.

“Sitting up,” Robert replied bluntly.

Aaron walked forwards and placed the tray on the small table beside the chaise longue. Folding his arms across his chest, he frowned down at Robert.

“I would have helped you, you know. You could have waited until I got back before you moved and hurt yourself.”

“I’m fine,” Robert said. “I don’t need help – I’m not an invalid.”

Aaron huffed slightly, shook his head and rolled his eyes.

“No, just ridiculously stubborn,” he muttered to himself as he grabbed the tray and handed it to Robert.

Robert accepted it with a quiet ‘thank you’, but he was watching Aaron curiously, wondering why Aaron cared enough to bother with him at all.

Aaron was glad that Robert was wearing a loose-fitting shirt because now he was sitting up the blanket had dropped down to his waist. He wasn’t sure he’d have been able to sit with him and stare at his chest while he ate his breakfast.

Once Robert had slowly started eating his breakfast, Aaron returned to the wingback chair and sat down. He picked up his book, flicked at the pages, then put it back down. He kept glancing at Robert, but didn’t want to stare so he kept moving his eyes around the room agitatedly. He wasn’t sure whether he was waiting for Robert to say something or whether he was waiting for words to tumble out of his own mouth.

When Robert was nearing the end of his porridge, he laid the spoon in the bowl and looked straight at Aaron.

“You shouldn’t have run away into the forest like you did,” he said without preamble.

It had been on his mind for a while and he had to say it. He was sure that Aaron had realised how dangerous it was after what had happened, but he wanted to make it blatantly clear to him that no matter what, he shouldn’t repeat it. Next time Robert might not find him in time.

Aaron was looking at Robert with a disbelieving expression on his face. He couldn’t believe that Robert was actually reprimanding him for what had happened.

“I wouldn’t have run away at all if you hadn’t frightened me,” he snapped in response.

Robert was taken aback. He was only trying to warn Aaron about the danger and this was his ungrateful response. He considered for a moment that Aaron had misunderstood his reasons for saying what he had: Robert knew he wasn’t great at communicating these days and often came across as blunt and rude. That didn’t stop his snappy reply though.

“I wouldn’t have yelled at you if you hadn’t been snooping around in the east wing.”

Aaron’s eyes widened and he felt a flash of annoyance pass through him. He was just about to respond that he wouldn’t have been in the east wing if Robert wasn’t so damn secretive and mysterious all the time, but something stopped him. He thought about what Adam had said to him: Robert needed some understanding, that there was more to Robert than what was on the surface. Maybe Aaron needed to try harder to see that instead of going round in circles with the other man.

He swallowed down his angry retort and looked away for a moment to compose himself.

Taking a deep breath, he looked back and met Robert’s gaze again.

“Thank you for saving my life,” he said seriously.

It was Robert’s turn to look shocked. He blinked rapidly a few times and his mouth opened slightly as though he was going to speak. Eventually, he seemed to get over his surprise at Aaron’s unexpected words.

“You’re welcome,” he said quietly.

Aaron smiled at him slightly.

“I meant what I said,” Robert suddenly continued. “You shouldn’t go into the forest alone at night – it’s not safe. I…I know you hate it here, but just…don’t go out there like that again – you might get hurt.”

There was something gentle and caring about the words and Aaron felt his smile grow a little wider.

“I won’t do it again,” Aaron said sincerely. “And, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry that _you_ got hurt.”

Robert shook his head quickly, “It was my own fault.”

They looked at one another for a long moment before Aaron cleared his throat and stood up.

“Are you finished with your breakfast?”

Robert nodded that he was and Aaron stepped forwards to take the tray from his lap. As he reached the door, he turned back to Robert.

“Just so you know, I don’t hate it here,” he said quietly, surprising himself with his own words. He didn’t wait for Robert’s response before he disappeared out of the door.


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a massive thank you to those of you that commented on the last chapter of this fic (you have no idea how much I needed those comments!) and I have to just thank moirabartons for being a wonderful cheerleader to me on tumblr and for reassuring me that I should keep writing. 
> 
> Please keep the feedback coming - it means so much to me! 
> 
> And yes, it's a slow-burn, but the thaw is beginning...

Over the next few days, Aaron often found himself with Robert in the sitting room.

The fever had left him weakened and the wound on his shoulder was still angry and sore, so it had been decided that he would stay downstairs until he had regained some strength.

Aaron, Adam and Vic were still taking it in turns to sit with him or call in to check whether he needed anything.

Only a few days ago, Aaron never could have imagined willingly sitting in a room with Robert. Now he found himself quite contentedly sitting with him, often in comfortable silence as they both read a book.

They had started talking more but conversation between them was still a little awkward, so it was often easier to just stay quiet and not force any words.

Things seemed to be going smoothly; the castle and its occupants were all calm, and everyone seemed more relaxed. Even though Robert was still recovering, things felt much better.

So Aaron was more than a little surprised when he wandered into the sitting room to find Adam and Vic helping Robert to his feet. They all looked tense but Aaron had no idea why.

At his arrival, three concerned (almost guilty) faces turned in his direction. He raised his eyebrows questioningly, but before he’d managed to put his wonderings into words, Vic had spoken.

“We’re moving Robert up to his own room,” she stated simply.

A wave of disappointment swept over Aaron. If Robert was in his bedroom in the east wing, Aaron wouldn’t be sitting with him anymore. He had no doubt that Robert’s stance on people entering the east wing wouldn’t have changed, even after what had happened. He wanted to ask why they felt the need for the sudden move, but was afraid of causing trouble by being too nosy again.

“He needs to get some decent rest in a proper bed,” Vic continued more gently. Maybe she’d seen the look on Aaron’s face.

“It won’t be for long,” Adam added as he glanced at Adam and then Robert, “Maybe just a couple of days.”

Aaron had been sure that Robert was doing better. He had thought that Robert would be up and on his feet independently soon, so Aaron couldn’t quite understand why he needed bed-rest all of a sudden. The chaise longue in the sitting room had been good enough since he was injured.

“Thank you for all of your help, Aaron,” Robert said.

“I…I can still help,” Aaron replied. He wondered why he was suddenly so keen to spend time with Robert. Maybe it was just because he liked having something to do to pass the time. “I could still sit with you.”

“No!” Adam and Vic both snapped at the same time. Then they looked at one another with slightly wide eyes as they seemed to have some sort of silent conversation.

“You don’t need to do that,” Vic told him more calmly. “Robert will just be getting lots of sleep so there’s really no need. You should stay away from the east wing completely.” She was obviously trying to sound gentle, but there was still a warning in her words.

Eventually, Aaron nodded glumly. He looked at Robert and wondered why he was so quiet about everything. Robert was just watching him silently, an unreadable expression on his face.

“Think of all the free time you’ll have back to yourself,” Adam said cheerfully as they began moving towards the door, supporting Robert as they went.

Once they had left, Aaron looked around the empty room.

“Free time to do what?” he asked himself with a despondent sigh.

 

***

That evening Aaron couldn’t sleep. He didn’t know why; all he knew was that no matter how much he might want to, he couldn’t fall asleep. He had been lying in his huge bed for what seemed like hours staring up at the canopy draped across the wooden beams.

It had been a strange day. After Robert had been escorted to his own bedroom, Aaron hadn’t seen him again and had hardly even seen anything of Victoria or Adam all day. They had joined him for supper, which at least meant he had some company while he ate, but other than that they had been rather absent. Aaron had tried to get some sort of explanation from them as they ate, as he was sure that there was something that they weren’t saying, but when he wondered out loud about Robert, both Vic and Adam had quickly changed the subject.

He had spent his day wandering the castle (avoiding the east wing) and walking around the gardens outside but had been rather lonely. He found it strange to admit, but he actually missed Robert’s company. Even though sometimes they had merely sat in comfortable silence, it was nice somehow, and Aaron had got used to it.

Pushing the covers away from his body in frustration, Aaron clambered out of his bed. He wandered to the window and pulled the curtains open. It had been a lovely spring day, not a cloud in the sky, and the clear skies had continued into the night. The sky seemed to be full of twinkling stars and the moon was full and bright against the inky blackness.

Leaning against the wall and just looking out for a while, Aaron debated sneaking downstairs into the kitchens to make himself a midnight snack or a warm drink, but as he moved away from the window a terrible howling sound split the night. He froze where he was standing, eyes wide. There was nothing but silence for a long time and Aaron was beginning to think he had imagined the sound, but then he heard it again. A long, drawn out cry that sounded like it came from some horrifying beast.

For a horrible moment, he worried that whatever had made the sound was inside the castle but surely that was ridiculous. Adam and Vic always made sure the doors were securely locked overnight. The creature, whatever it was, must be in the forest. It sounded frighteningly close though and Aaron was grateful that he hadn’t encountered it when he’d blindly run into the woods all those nights ago.

He rushed back to the window, half of him hoping to catch sight of whatever was out there and the other half dreading the prospect. There was no sign of any foul beasts at the edge of the trees and nothing seemed amiss. He stood for a long time, staring out of the window, but he saw nothing and there were no more strange howls.

Eventually, he gave up on his watch and returned to his bed. The thought of wandering out into the dark corridors of the castle with only a candle sent a shudder down his spine so he climbed back into bed and pulled the covers around himself.

When he finally fell asleep, he dreamt of monsters chasing him and vicious creatures attacking the castle and Robert crying out in anguish.

 

***

The following morning, as soon as Aaron saw Adam, he asked him about the sounds in the night. At first, Adam had just stared at him oddly before he laughed and asked Aaron if he’d eaten cheese before bed which had given him nightmares.

Aaron had huffed and immediately gone to ask Vic if she had heard anything. Vic had looked agitated as soon as the question had fallen from Aaron’s lips and then told him that it was probably a wolf from the forest and that he shouldn’t worry.

Aaron wondered if Robert had heard anything, but decided not to ask him because the other man was still recovering, had most likely slept through the night, and probably didn’t want reminding about wolves on his doorstep after the recent fight in the forest that had left him horribly injured.

 

***

By the time, Aaron saw Robert again, he’d almost forgotten about his disturbed night.

Robert didn’t emerge from his bedroom in the east wing for two days, but when he did appear, he looked much better. He had regained his strength and was able to walk without leaning on anyone else for support. A healthier colour had returned to his skin and the dark smudges beneath his eyes had lessened. His shoulder was still strapped up, the top of the bandages peeking out from beneath the loose shirt he wore.

When Robert walked into the sitting room, Aaron looked up from his book and smiled in surprise. He didn’t really know why he was so pleased to see Robert up and about again. 

“How are you feeling?” Aaron asked as Robert came further into the room.

“Much better, thank you,” Robert nodded. He looked around the room, noticing that the curtains were pulled open again and that there was a collection of books strewn across one of the tables next to the wingback chair that Aaron was yet again occupying.

“I’m pleased to hear it,” Aaron replied.

A silence fell over them, but Aaron could tell that Robert was going to say something else. He wondered if Robert was going to tell him to close the curtains.

Robert slowly sat down in one of the other large chairs across from Aaron.

“I…wanted to say thank you,” he said eventually.

Aaron stared at him blankly.

“When I was injured, you thanked me for saving your life. And while I’ve been recovering, I’ve realised that I never thanked _you_ for saving mine. In the forest I told you to run; you could have got on the horse and left me, but you didn’t. You brought me back here and saved my life. So…thank you, Aaron.”

Aaron felt his cheeks heat a little at the words and he fiddled with the book in his hands nervously.

“I wouldn’t have just left you there,” he said quietly.

“I wouldn’t have blamed you if you had,” Robert told him seriously. “I know that I’d frightened you and you had every reason to run away. No matter what you’d done, I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that and shouted at you.”

Aaron shook his head quickly. “I know why you were angry. And even though I was frightened, I still couldn’t have just ridden away and left you out there.”

“Maybe we should agree that we both made mistakes that night,” Robert said.     

“Yes, I think you’re right,” Aaron nodded.

They slipped into silence for a while and Aaron wondered if that was the end of their conversation. He’d been quite amazed at how well they’d managed to communicate. They’d even touched upon a rather tense situation between them and neither of them had snapped at the other. It felt like progress.

Aaron turned his attention back to his book, but could feel Robert watching him and wasn’t actually reading any of the words on the page.

After a while, Robert spoke up again.

“I know you’re probably quite bored here,” he said suddenly.

Again Aaron looked up at him in surprise.

“I know that…well I’m sure you wish you weren’t here. And, well, I wonder if you might be happier if you weren’t always stuck inside the castle grounds. I, um, I’d like you to have one of the horses…so that you can go for a ride in the forest if you’d like a change of scene. You’d have to go with Adam or Vic to make sure you return, and you couldn’t go back to your village, but it might make you feel less trapped if you could get out and go for a ride every once in a while,” Robert said.

Aaron’s mouth flapped open at the words. Robert was basically giving him permission to leave whenever he wanted. He obviously wasn’t very good at keeping prisoners if this is what he suggested. But then again, Aaron had been told repeatedly that he _wasn’t_ a prisoner; he had given his word that he would voluntarily stay here, so Robert was obviously trusting him to stick to that and return.

“I…I thought the forest was dangerous,” he managed to say. “You said I shouldn’t go out there. What about the wolves?”

“It is only really dangerous at night when you can’t see anything but the wild animals that come out in the darkness can see everything. You would have to be back here before nightfall if you went out.”

Aaron didn’t know what to say. He felt so confused by Robert’s change in attitude.

“You don’t have to accept the offer,” Robert told him. He looked worried all of a sudden, like he was concerned that he had gone too far with his suggestion.

“No, no,” Aaron immediately replied. “I’m just thinking about it. I wasn’t expecting it. But I would really like to go out.”

Robert looked instantly relieved. “Good,” he said with a nod. “That’s good. I’ll speak with Adam and Vic so that they can make the arrangements.”

With that, he rose from his chair, nodded once more, and walked out of the room.

Aaron didn’t have time to react to his words or add anything to the conversation; he just stared at the doorway wondering whether he had imagined what had just happened.

 

***

The following morning, Adam and Vic had taken Aaron outside to the stables. At Robert’s request, he was to choose himself a horse. He wandered along the stalls, peering in at each animal, not really knowing what he was looking for but just hoping that one of the horses would stand out somehow.

Robert’s impressive black stallion was instantly recognisable; Aaron remembered it well from the night of the wolf attack in the forest. It seemed to suit Robert rather well; it seemed right somehow that he would own such a powerful creature.

The other horses were slightly smaller and of various colours and eventually Aaron settled on a light brown mare. She seemed friendly enough and Aaron didn’t really know how else he was supposed to choose a horse, so that seemed reasonable to him.

Adam and Vic told him that one of them would be happy to join him whenever he wanted to go out as long as he gave them advance warning. They left Aaron in the stables thinking of a name for his horse, because when he had found out that Robert hadn’t named any of the animals, he had decided that that didn’t seem very kind.

 

***

Five days had passed since he had chosen his horse and Aaron still hadn’t asked to go out for a ride into the forest.

Robert was beginning to wonder if he ever intended to go. It wasn’t that he wanted to push Aaron out of the gate but he wanted the other man to feel less like a prisoner. He had thought that trusting him with the option to leave the castle was a big step towards Aaron being happier. He also hoped that it would mean that Aaron was less likely to go snooping around inside the castle again.

Robert had watched Aaron slip out through the front door of the castle and then had followed his progress through the grounds from the upstairs windows. Aaron was visiting the stables, so surely that meant he liked his horse, but so far he hadn’t suggested going for a ride.

Robert had considered the possibility that Aaron didn’t know how to ride or wasn’t confident on a horse, but he quickly pushed that aside. Aaron had easily managed to get them both back to the castle on Robert’s horse so he obviously knew what he was doing.  

Eventually, when Robert’s curiosity (and slight frustration) became too much, he found Aaron in the sitting room and asked him whether he was ever intending to go out on his horse.

Unsurprisingly looking a little caught off-guard, Aaron just blinked up at him.

“Is there something wrong with the horse?” Robert asked. “You could choose a different one, or I could send Adam to buy another.”

“No, no,” Aaron shook his head. “I like the horse.”

“So there is some other reason why you don’t wish to go out then,” Robert said. He didn’t want to push too hard but he also wanted know what was going on.

Aaron chewed on his lower lip and fiddled with his shirt sleeve.

“If you don’t want to leave the grounds, I won’t force you to,” Robert said slowly. He could tell that Aaron was nervous and silently congratulated himself on getting better at reading the other man. “I just thought that it would be nice for you to get a change of scene.”

“Oh, it would,” Aaron agreed immediately. “And I really, really appreciate the gesture. It’s just…well…I’d like to go in the forest, but the last time…well it was a bit of a bad experience.”

Suddenly Aaron’s reluctance became much more understandable. Robert hadn’t considered that Aaron would be worried about repeating the events of that terrible night.

“If you went out during the day, you would be much safer,” he said gently. “And you wouldn’t be alone: Adam or Vic would join you.”

Aaron looked at him through his eyelashes; he looked suddenly shy.

“I’d be much happier going out there if _you_ went with me,” he said quietly.

Robert’s eyes widened and he drew in a sharp breath. It took a lot of willpower to stay where he was and not run straight out of the door.

Had he just heard Aaron correctly? He wanted _Robert_ to go with him? Was he being serious?

The thought of it caused Robert problems for more than one reason.

He couldn’t comprehend the fact that Aaron wanted to spend time with _him_. Wouldn’t he be better off with Adam or Vic? He was sure they had more in common and would find conversation easier. Even though the relationship between them had improved a great deal, he still thought it strange that Aaron would willingly want to spend time with him.

And apart from that baffling issue, Robert was not overly keen on leaving the castle in daylight. He preferred the cloaking darkness of the castle to the bright sunshine and openness of the forest. Although, he had to admit that since Aaron had been in the castle the whole place had been brighter inside. He often wandered past windows with the curtains drawn back allowing the light to spill into the halls and rooms. Not so long ago he would have hated that; he would have stormed over to the window and shut out the light as quickly as possible. But for some reason, he now found himself less offended by the light. Still, there was a difference between allowing the sunshine into his home and going out into the forest in broad daylight. Everything he hated about his appearance would be so much harder to hide out there. And what if someone else came along and saw him? He felt himself flinch at the very thought of it.

“Robert?” Aaron’s quiet voice broke through his thoughts. “I understand if you don’t want to go with me. I wouldn’t force you either.”

Robert cleared his throat. “I, um, I don’t know if I can. I don’t…well, I don’t really go outside during the day.” He gestured vaguely at his scars and watched as a strange expression appeared on Aaron’s face. It wasn’t a look of revulsion like Robert so often expected when anyone looked at him.

“I’d really like it if you joined me,” Aaron said. “I’d like to get to know you better and that seems like a good opportunity. We could stay off the main tracks if you’d prefer.”

Robert looked at him steadily, realising that Aaron, at least partly, seemed to understand his hesitance to leave the castle. And he couldn’t help but feel something an awful lot like hope at Aaron’s words: he’d like to get to know Robert better. Could he really refuse him now?

“I’ll, um, well I’ll think about it,” Robert muttered, still trying to slow his racing mind. He needed some time to just think it over.

“Thank you,” Aaron smiled genuinely.

Robert didn’t say anything else. Instead he decided to leave Aaron to his reading and disappeared back up to his rooms. He had a lot to think about.

 

***

As soon as Robert mentioned Aaron’s suggestion to Adam and Vic, they had jumped on the idea as being the most wonderful thing that they had ever heard. At least that was how Robert viewed their reaction. They were so pleased by the prospect that Robert wondered whether he was missing something.

Robert was still rather unsure about the whole idea. He still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that Aaron would choose to spend time with him. And he was still struggling with the thought of actually going outside in broad daylight where anyone could see him: _Aaron_ would see him and that thought made Robert feel particularly self-conscious. For so long he’d hidden away in the darkness, afraid of how people would react to the monster he had become, so the thought of exposing himself to the world seemed quite terrifying.

Even as Vic and Adam told him what a wonderful idea it was, Robert was trying to explain to himself why Aaron would make such a suggestion. Despite the other man saying that he’d like to get to know Robert better, Robert was still doubtful about that. He decided that Aaron probably wanted him to join him because he knew that Robert had saved him last time he was in danger in the forest, so expected that he could do the same again if he found himself in trouble. Aaron had even said that his last journey into the forest had been a ‘bad experience’, so surely it made sense that he wanted some sort of protection. That made sense, no other explanation seemed to.

After a sleepless night spent going backwards and forwards about the idea, Robert drew in several deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself and found himself walking towards the stables. He’d been told by a grinning Adam that Aaron was already there, so Robert headed straight inside.

A smile spread across Aaron’s face when Robert entered and Robert tried his best to keep breathing normally. He wandered over to his horse and stroked his hand down its nose in greeting.

“So…does this mean you’ve made up your mind then?” Aaron asked from somewhere behind him and Robert realised that he hadn’t actually spoken since he’d walked in.

He cleared his throat. “Um, yes,” he said, wondering when he’d lost the ability to communicate properly. “Are you ready to go out for a ride this morning?”

Aaron’s face lit up and he positively beamed at Robert’s words. “I’m ready,” he announced brightly.

Robert nodded once and turned back to his horse as Aaron moved towards the one he had chosen. He blew out a long breath. This was either going to go really well, or terribly, terribly badly.

Once they were out of the castle gates, which felt like a massive achievement in itself for Robert, they encouraged the horses into a trot and quickly moved away from Robert’s home.

For a long time, they didn’t speak at all. Robert was too busy worrying about being away from the castle in the middle of the day and Aaron was too busy enjoying the feeling of freedom. Eventually though, Aaron slowed his horse to fall in beside Robert’s as they continued through the trees.

“This was a brilliant idea,” he said as he glanced over at Robert.

“I’m pleased you’re enjoying yourself,” Robert replied. He still felt nervous. He felt vulnerable in a way that he wasn’t used to. But at the same time he was also surprised to find that it was quite nice to be away from the castle. He had always loved spending time in the forest before and this trip was reminding him of that.

“Thank you for agreeing to come with me,” Aaron added. “I know it wasn’t an easy thing for you to do.”

Robert hummed lowly. “I was reluctant, but it’s actually quite pleasant out here.”

Aaron smiled again. “So we’re both enjoying ourselves then. And what about you, Mary?” he asked as he patted his horse’s neck. “I bet you’re glad to be stretching your legs.”

“ _Mary_?” Robert asked in confusion.

Aaron grinned at him. “Yes - Mary,” he replied like it was obvious. 

“You named your horse ‘ _Mary’_?” Robert asked incredulously.

“What’s wrong with that?” Aaron said.

“Why…it’s not a very horse-y name, is it?” Robert was shaking his head slightly.

Aaron was looking back at him with a mischievous smile on his face. “Well, she’s a mare, isn’t she? So, Mary,” he told Robert as though it made complete sense.

Robert’s eyebrows rose and he looked quite baffled by Aaron’s naming process. “I don’t think that’s the best way to name horses,” he said eventually. “There’ll be an awful lot of ‘Marys’, won’t there?”

Aaron laughed brightly. “Maybe,” he chuckled. “But you’re the best one,” he added in a silly voice as he leaned over to pat the horse again.

Robert was just watching him in absolute amazement.

“Anyway,” Aaron continued, “What have you named your horse? You’re obviously an expert in naming them.”

Suddenly wishing he hadn’t said anything, Robert stared at the top of his horse’s head. “I, um, I haven’t given him a name,” he mumbled.

“ _Robert_!” Aaron gasped dramatically.

It was such a shocked exclamation that Robert quickly turned to look at him wondering what was wrong. He found Aaron staring back at him with a stern expression on his face but laughter still twinkling in his eyes.

“That is _terrible_! Do you just call him ‘horse’ then?” Aaron questioned. “Poor thing – he must feel most underappreciated.”  

For a moment, Robert wondered just how serious Aaron was being, but then he caught the smirk pulling at his lips. He actually found himself rolling his eyes, playing along with Aaron.

“I’m very sorry,” Robert directed at his horse. “Go on then,” he said to Aaron. “You seem to be good at this naming business; you can name him for me.”

Aaron smiled brightly, his eyes sparkling. He looked at the horse for a long time, chewing on his lower lip thoughtfully, as they continued through the trees. Finally, he looked back up at Robert and grinned.

“I’ve got it,” he declared. “It really is the perfect match.”

At Robert’s nod, Aaron announced the horse’s name. “Snowy,” he said triumphantly.

Something very strange happened in that moment: a laugh actually burst out of Robert. It was the first time he had properly laughed in a long time and it caught both himself and Aaron completely by surprise. Robert’s eyes widened as he clapped one hand over his mouth in shock. Then, with a smile still on his face beneath his hand, he looked at Aaron in wonder.

When he had regained some composure, he managed to say, “ _Snowy_? The horse is completely _black_ , Aaron.”

Aaron just shrugged. He had a cheeky smile on his face still. “What’s your point?” he asked easily.

Robert merely shook his head and decided that there was no point arguing about the issue with Aaron. He had a feeling he wouldn’t win against the way Aaron’s mind worked.

Both of them had a smile on their face as they continued their ride. As unfamiliar as it felt to Robert, he had to admit that it felt pretty good.


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this is the moment when we'd have a song, if this was a Disney film. Obviously it's not, so no singing teapots in this story I'm afraid, but there's something there that wasn't there before (see what I did there?!).
> 
> Anyway, comments and kudos will encourage me (as always) to get the next update sorted sooner rather than later, so please leave me some feedback. Thank you!

Rides into the forest became a frequent event.

Robert still found that he had to swallow down his anxiety about the trips as he prepared, and right up until the moment when they passed through the gates, he was on the edge of turning back to disappear inside. But he always made it through the gates and into the trees. Maybe it was because he didn’t want to disappoint Aaron, who always looked so happy to be in the forest. Or maybe it was because Robert actually enjoyed himself on their trips once he’d got over his initial concerns.

It had been Victoria’s idea to take a picnic with them when they went out. The weather had been fair for days, so she had suggested that they should leave the castle late in the morning, find a nice spot to stop, and enjoy a picnic together for lunch.

Robert had been a little sceptical about whether or not Aaron would actually want to do something like that, but the smile on his face when Vic had told him the plan was enough to banish Robert’s concerns.

They had ridden for quite some time before Robert had steered them towards a clearing. They climbed down from their saddles and looped the reins around a low-hanging branch, leaving the horses to graze quite happily. Then they set up a blanket on the ground and Robert produced a ridiculously full basket of food.

“I think Vic forgot that there was just going to be the two of us,” he said as he investigated the contents of the basket.

Aaron chuckled. “Four of us,” he said gesturing to the horses, “Don’t forget Mary and Snowy.”

“Silly me,” Robert shook his head. “But not sure if any of this is suitable horse food really.”

Aaron looked around the clearing that they had settled in. It was a lovely spot, surrounded by trees casting dappled shadows as the leaves fluttered in the warm breeze, and Aaron was sure he could hear a stream babbling away nearby.

“How did you know about this place?” he asked as Robert finally sat down on the blanket.

He noticed how Robert had positioned himself on Aaron’s left and wondered whether it was because he wanted to keep the scarred side of his face away from Aaron’s view, or if he wanted to be able to see Aaron with his good right eye.

When Robert didn’t answer immediately, Aaron continued. “It just seemed like you knew where you were headed, and it’s a pretty perfect spot for a picnic.”

Robert nodded a few times. “I knew where I was aiming for, yes. I used to love spending time in the forest and explored as much of it as I could when I was younger. I…well, I don’t spend as much time out here anymore, but I still remembered this place.”

Aaron smiled. “Well it was an excellent choice.”

Robert didn’t reply but Aaron knew that that was quite normal. After spending more and more time in Robert’s company, he had found that Robert was often quiet. Sometimes he didn’t seem all that willing to engage in conversation and sometimes he disappeared for days at a time. That was the one thing that Aaron still found strange. Adam and Vic had told him how Robert sometimes just needed some space, some time on his own, but Aaron still wondered what he was doing all on his own for all that time. Despite his curiosity, he never asked Robert about it. He had learnt that some things were better left alone and he knew that Robert was an incredibly private person. Aaron found that he didn’t want to upset the delicate relationship that had developed between them by prying into Robert’s personal life too much. He’d learnt his lesson about that the hard way.

“What about you?” Robert asked after the silence between them had stretched for quite some time. “Did you spend much time exploring the forest near where you lived?”

Aaron shrugged a little. “I suppose I did a bit. I’m not sure you could call what I did ‘ _exploring’_ really. As children we always used to play in the forest but we didn’t venture that far. And obviously I used to pass through on my way to visit other places, but I don’t think that counts as exploring. The furthest I’d ever been was when I was searching for Liv.”

Robert stiffened slightly beside him and Aaron feared the mood would become strained so he quickly moved on.

“What about when the weather was bad? You can’t have been gallivanting about in the forest in all weathers,” he said.

Robert frowned slightly. “Most of my free time was spent outside come rain or shine. My mother was always scolding me for being filthy.” A tiny, wistful smile quirked the edge of his mouth up slightly. “But I had lessons to attend with my tutor which kept me out of trouble a lot. He tried to teach me to play the piano but I was never all that interested – I know the basics but I wish I’d paid more attention.”

“I can play,” Aaron said quietly. It wasn’t something that he bragged about and it wasn’t like anyone would expect a boy from a poor family from a village to know anyway.

“You can?” Robert asked, and he sounded surprised but also curious.

“Yeah, my mother used to work for one of the ladies in the town near our village. Sometimes she would take me along to help her and I made friends with one of the children of the family. She taught me to play on her piano while I waited for my mother to finish up and I loved it so much that I kept going back for lessons,” Aaron told him.

“Well I’m very impressed,” Robert said sincerely. “I knew you liked music because I’d heard you.”

For a moment, Aaron was a little puzzled. He hadn’t ever spoken to Adam or Vic about playing the piano or liking music, so how could Robert know?

“Heard me what?” he asked in confusion.

For some reason, Robert suddenly looked embarrassed. “I, um, well, I heard you humming and singing, sometimes…at the castle,” he muttered.

Aaron’s eyes widened and he felt his cheeks heat. “Oh no,” he groaned, as he hid his face in his hands. “That’s so embarrassing. I didn’t think anyone would hear me. Oh, it must have been awful. I can’t believe you heard me…I promise I’ll stop doing it.”

“No!” Robert suddenly interrupted him. “You mustn’t stop. It’s not awful at all: it was lovely. I really liked hearing you.” He abruptly stopped talking and stared off into the trees.

Aaron had lifted his face from his hands at the words and was surprised to find a slight blush on Robert’s cheeks. He smiled a little. They were both embarrassed: Aaron about being overheard and Robert about giving himself away.

“Well…I suppose I might carry on then,” he said with a shrug. “But only because you said you like it and if you change your mind and decide you hate it you have to tell me to stop.”

“I won’t change my mind,” Robert replied softly.

Aaron’s smile widened.

***

After so long spent in isolation, Robert was amazed at how easily he was accepting the changes to his life that Aaron was responsible for. Not so long ago he had spent every waking moment hidden in the shadows inside the castle, hiding from the outside world. Since the curse was placed upon him, he had cut himself off from nearly everyone. He had come to accept that he was doomed to remain a monster for the rest of his life. He had learned to live in the darkness because there was no hope of any light in his life again.

But Aaron seemed to have brought the light back into Robert’s life in so many ways.

There had been an obvious physical change in the castle.

When Robert had awoken in the sitting room after the wolf attack, he had been surprised to find sunlight streaming in through the windows, but hadn’t wanted Aaron to close the curtains and block it out. He had surprised even himself with that revelation.

And it hadn’t stopped there. Robert had noticed how more and more of the windows of the castle were uncovered. It had been a slow change, and it might have been easy to miss if Robert wasn’t so used to the gloom, but it was definitely happening. Robert wondered whether Aaron even knew that he was doing it; whether he was purposefully filling the castle with light, or whether he was pulling the drapes back and leaving them that way without even realising it.

And Robert had surprised himself again with how he reacted to the change. The desperate desire to stay hidden in the darkness seemed to have faded and, while it wasn’t easy, Robert found that he wasn’t afraid to allow the light back into the castle, just as he wasn’t so afraid to leave the castle’s protection in daylight.

Before the curse, Robert had loved to watch the sunrise. He had chosen the east wing to house his rooms for that very reason, but that joy had been taken away from him, as with every sunrise he got closer to his fate. And, although he had accepted the light in so many other parts of his home, he still refused to open the curtains in the east wing. He didn’t want to be reminded of what he had lost and what he had become.

Aaron had let the light back into the castle but also seemed to ignite something deep inside Robert. It was hard to put a name to what it was, but it felt a lot like hope. It had been a long time since Robert had had any hope that he could ever be happy again, but Aaron seemed to give him something to hold on to.

Robert tried not to think too deeply about it. Hope was a wonderful feeling but Robert didn’t want to rely on it too much. His time was nearly up and very soon nothing would save him, not even that. He would enjoy his time with Aaron while he could before all hope was lost forever.

***

“Can I open my eyes yet?” Aaron asked for the third time.

Robert sighed and shook his head even though Aaron couldn’t see him.

“Not yet,” he said patiently. “You’re really terrible at the whole surprise thing, aren’t you?”

Aaron shrugged slightly. “I’m impatient,” he admitted.

“We’re nearly there,” Robert said as he continued to steer Aaron towards the perfect spot in the room. He had had to guide Aaron from the entrance hallway so had gently placed his hand on Aaron’s elbow and he couldn’t help but revel in the warmth beneath his hand and the feeling of human contact.

“Stop just there,” he said quietly. He stepped away from Aaron and was pleased to find that he kept his eyes closed willingly.

Robert just looked at him for a long moment. He looked so beautiful standing there with the sunlight making his skin glow, his dark eyelashes resting against his cheeks delicately, that Robert couldn’t focus on anything else. He got quite lost in the moment.

“Robert?” Aaron almost whispered.

Shaking his head slightly, Robert drew in a deep breath. “You can open your eyes now, Aaron.”

Slowly, Aaron’s eyelids opened. He looked down at the large, shiny black piano standing before him and then immediately at Robert in confusion.

“Do you like it?” Robert asked nervously.

Aaron frowned slightly, obviously baffled by what was going on. “It’s beautiful,” he replied softly.

“I’d like you to have it,” Robert told him quietly.

Aaron’s eyes widened and he stared at Robert open mouthed. Eventually he managed to react with words. “Robert…I can’t,” he said in shock. “It’s…it’s too much.”

“I want you to have it,” Robert said again. “It’s been sitting here without anyone to play it for so long. It deserves to be used by someone who would appreciate it, and you deserve the chance to do something that you enjoy.”

Aaron was still looking at him in shock, but his eyes kept flicking down to look at the piano.

“Please accept it, Aaron,” Robert continued gently. “Please.”

It almost looked like there were tears in Aaron’s eyes, but before Robert could be sure, Aaron had thrown himself forwards and wrapped his arms around Robert’s back to pull him into a hug.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you so much.”

At first, Robert wasn’t entirely sure how to react. Physical comfort was something he had gone without for a long time. He hadn’t been hugged or held by anyone for so long; he had shied away from human touches for so many years. But now Aaron was wrapped around him and, if Robert didn’t move, he was going to pull away without Robert ever truly savouring the moment. So he hesitantly reached his arms up and returned the embrace.

“Thank you,” Aaron whispered again and then all too soon he was leaning back and loosening his hold.

Even though it had lasted mere seconds, Robert felt like it was the best thing that had happened to him in a long time.

“You’re welcome,” he said and he could feel a small smile tugging at his lips.

Suddenly, Aaron looked nervous. “You’re not going to…well, you don’t want to listen to me play right now, do you?”

Robert’s smile widened slightly and he huffed out a little laugh. “No, I wouldn’t do that to you,” he said kindly. “I imagine you’d like some time to practise by yourself without an audience.”

Aaron visibly relaxed and then smiled himself. “Yes, I think I might be a bit rusty. It’s been a while.”

“I’m sure you’ll be wonderful,” Robert reassured him. “I’d love to listen to you play when you’re ready…if that’s alright.”

Aaron nodded but he actually looked a little shy, which wasn’t an emotion that Robert was used to seeing on his face. “Yes…I’d like that. I might not be very good though; I don’t want you to get your hopes up too much.”

The thought flitted through Robert’s mind that he had _already_ got his hopes up, but he just smiled softly at Aaron. “I’ll look forward to it.”

***

When Robert had first presented the piano to him, Aaron hadn’t played a single note. Too overwhelmed by the beautiful instrument before him, and by the sentiment behind the gift, Aaron had merely brushed his fingertips across the polished black top before quietly following Robert out of the room.

He returned the following morning, realising that the room that Robert had led him to was in fact one of the many rooms that he had wandered in to during his initial explorations of the castle. It looked completely different now. At the time, Aaron hadn’t even realised that there was a grand piano hidden beneath one of the dusty sheets. The room had been dark, like all the others, closed off and forgotten about. But now the bright morning sunlight flooded through the long windows, illuminating the true beauty of the room, and highlighting the way the piano stood proudly in the centre of the floor.

Aaron approached the instrument slowly and walked around it taking in the details. This was even more spectacular than the one he had learned to play on as a boy, and he had thought that that one was pretty amazing.

Eventually, he sat down carefully on the bench before the keys. His fingers hovered above them like he wasn’t sure that he was really allowed to touch. With a strange amount of hesitancy, he finally allowed his finger to press down on one of the keys, drawing in a sharp breath as the perfectly tuned sound broke the silence in the room. Such a simple, solo sound seemed to fill Aaron with confidence and his fingers settled themselves quite happily on the keys.

There were false starts and errors, and Aaron had to remind himself that it had been years since he’d played so he couldn’t expect it to be perfect, but he was amazed at how much came flooding back to him as soon as he started playing. He hoped that Robert had some music hidden away somewhere that he could use so that he wasn’t stuck playing the same things from memory. He smiled to himself at the thought of Robert. He was nervous about playing for him and was nowhere near ready to yet, but at the same time he really wanted to. He wanted to show Robert how much his wonderful gift meant to him.     

***

Playing the piano became one of Aaron’ favourite ways to pass the time. He could sit on the bench and allow his fingers to dance over the keys for hours without even realising how long he’d been sitting there. He loved it.

He was quickly coming to the realisation that he actually _liked_ being at the castle. He wasn’t entirely sure when he had changed his mind; it had happened so gradually. It had been an almost unnoticeable transition from hating being trapped there to feeling like it was where he wanted to be. The rides into the forest and the time he spent playing the piano had certainly helped to sway him, but deep down he knew it was Robert that had had the biggest influence on his change of heart.

Robert was like a different person to the terrifying man that Aaron had first encountered. He still had his moments when he was gruff or hard to communicate with, but there was never any sign of the anger that Aaron had feared; he didn’t intimidate Aaron anymore. They got on well and Aaron actually _wanted_ to spend time in his company. He missed Robert when he retreated to the east wing and didn’t appear again for days, but he never raised the issue: even just thinking it caused butterflies in his stomach.

Of course he still missed Liv and his friends. He missed his old home. But he tried not to think about it; there was no point getting upset over something that he couldn’t change. He wondered if, one day, he might ask Robert if they could ride back to his village to visit. He knew it was a lot to ask of Robert, but it had been a lot to ask of him to leave the safety of the castle in the first place and Robert had done that and now seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself on their rides. So maybe he could be persuaded about Aaron’s new idea too. He would suggest it someday. For now, he was content where he was.

***

Plans for a ride into the forest had been abandoned when Robert had woken up to find rain hammering at his window. He had been disappointed, but knew there were plenty of other opportunities.

The day had passed quite slowly, with everyone confined to the castle. Robert had started to wonder what he ever did to pass his days before Aaron had arrived.

He had been reading on his own in the sitting room since lunch and decided he needed to stretch his legs. If he happened to find Aaron as he wandered the halls, then that was a bonus. He certainly wasn’t setting off with the intention of seeking out the other man – definitely not.

There were a few places in the castle that Aaron had grown particularly fond of: one was the sitting room which Robert had been occupying all afternoon, and another was the piano room. It didn’t take much thought for Robert to guess where he probably was; Aaron had spent a lot of time there since Robert had given him the piano.

Taking a steady walk, Robert made his way towards the room. He didn’t want to disturb Aaron and he certainly didn’t want to intrude on his playing. Rather surprisingly, Aaron had been quite shy about his ability and Robert didn’t want to unsettle him by demanding a performance.

As he approached the room, he could hear the piece that Aaron was playing flowing beautifully, filling the corridor leading to the room with music. The door was open, which Robert took to mean that Aaron wasn’t too worried about anyone wandering in and hearing him.

For a long time, Robert merely stood in the doorway watching as Aaron played. He wasn’t perfect; occasionally his fingers slipped or he hesitated momentarily, but it didn’t matter, it still sounded wonderful to Robert.

It seemed that Aaron was completely lost in what he was doing because he didn’t react at all to Robert’s presence in the doorway until he lifted his hand to turn the sheet of music over. Then his fingers froze and his eyes widened as he looked up at Robert in surprise.

Even from his position by the door, Robert could see Aaron’s cheeks flush a little as he looked back at the keys nervously.

Robert cleared his throat gently before he slowly walked into the room. “I hope you don’t mind,” he said quietly, “I wasn’t planning to eavesdrop, but I heard you playing and I just couldn’t help staying to listen.”

Aaron shook his head slightly; his cheeks were still a little pink. “I don’t mind,” he replied. “I…um, I’m happy for you to listen…I’m just not that good and I wanted to practise so I could play you something perfect.”

Smiling down at him softly, Robert shook his head slightly. “You _are_ good,” he said genuinely. “It sounded beautiful. It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s perfect or not; I’m just honoured to hear you play.”

Aaron returned the smile and nodded. It almost looked like he was using Robert’s words to convince himself that he could continue. “Well, if you want to stay, I’ll play you something properly if you’d like.”

“I’d really like that,” Robert told him, his smile widening.

Aaron nodded again and encouraged Robert to make himself comfortable. Then he began to play.

While Aaron became completely focused on playing, Robert became completely focused on Aaron. The notes from the piano surrounded Robert, and all he could see was Aaron. Even though the sky outside was grey, Aaron still looked so bright and full of life. His eyes remained focused on the notes before him as his fingers danced over the keys. His lower lip was pulled between his teeth in concentration, but as he continued and became more confident, a small smile began to tug at the corners of his mouth.

Robert could have happily sat and listened to him play for the rest of his life. He wanted to watch him smile in pleasure when it sounded right and frown in frustration when he struggled, and he wanted to be the person to tell Aaron that it didn’t matter if he made a mistake because it was still beautiful to him; _Aaron_ was beautiful to him, no matter what he was doing or how far he was pushing Robert out of his comfort zone.

And it suddenly struck Robert why he felt like that. He had fallen in love with Aaron. There was no denying it. There was only one explanation for how Robert felt. And all at once he was terrified and hopeful and desperate all at once.

Part of him wanted to jump up from the couch he was sitting on and run straight out of the door. He wasn’t sure that he’d ever been so scared in all his life. He’d never felt anything like this before and he didn’t know how he was supposed to deal with it. How hadn’t he seen it happening? How had it just suddenly hit him, sitting there listening to Aaron play, that he was in love with him and wanted to spend the rest of his life with him?

Surely Aaron would be able to tell as soon as he looked up from the piano and looked at Robert’s face. Or did he already know? Had he already seen Robert’s feelings displayed on his face every time he’d looked at him, without Robert even realising it?

But how did Aaron feel? Did he have any of the same sort of affection towards Robert? What if he felt the same? Robert couldn’t help the fluttering of his heart as he considered the possibility that maybe Aaron cared for him just as deeply. He didn’t often allow himself to hope, but this time maybe he should.

It took a long moment for Robert to realise that there was silence in the room. Aaron had stopped playing and was looking at Robert anxiously.

Robert pushed himself up from his seat and tried to get his racing thoughts and emotions under some sort of control as he walked towards the piano.

“That…was wonderful, Aaron,” he said softly. “You’re wonderful.”

Again a blush rose on Aaron’s cheeks as he looked down. “You’re just being kind,” he said as he carefully lowered the lid over the keys and stood up from the bench. He hadn’t lifted his eyes back to Robert’s face and Robert wanted to change that immediately. And that was just another thing that Aaron had altered in Robert’s life. He had spent so long hiding away, keeping his face hidden from everyone, staying in the shadows, and now all he wanted was for Aaron to look at him, _really_ look at him.

“I loved it,” Robert said as he exhaled a deep breath.

It had the desired effect as Aaron looked up quickly. He looked straight into Robert’s eyes and smiled. He looked so happy in that moment that Robert could do nothing but return the smile.

It seemed like a long time before either of them moved, but eventually they wandered out of the room together, both still smiling softly.


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearly didn't get an update this week - blame Ofsted! Thank you all for your lovely comments and support. 
> 
> Everything was so fluffy and cute in the last chapter - I can never leave anything like that for too long, I'm afraid...

Robert’s realisation had left him unusually nervous and twitchy, and of course Victoria and Adam had immediately picked up on his strange behaviour. They had sat Robert down as soon as Aaron had disappeared to his room and asked him what was going on. Robert had confided in them, knowing that he had to talk to them and try to explain some of the muddle of his thoughts.

Adam and Vic had shared a knowing look and no trace of any surprise at Robert’s confession. It almost seemed like they had already known what Robert was telling them. But they had also looked happy.

“This is it,” Adam had said with a grin. “This is how you will break the spell. You’ll be saved and you’ll be happy with Aaron.”

A rush of hope had flashed through Robert at those words, but then he had immediately looked doubtful.

“But what if he doesn’t feel the same?” he had asked in concern.

Vic had smiled at him kindly. “The way he looks at you speaks volumes,” she had told him. “He cares for you - a lot.”

Robert had smiled nervously again, hardly daring to believe his sister, but wanting nothing more than for her to be right.

Adam had clapped his hands together officiously. “We need a way for you to tell him – we need a plan.”

***

Something seemed a little off in the castle and Aaron couldn’t figure out what it was.

He hadn’t seen Adam or Vic all morning, even at breakfast, which was highly unusual. He hadn’t seen Robert either and he was wondering if they’d all abandoned him in the night and left him alone in the castle.

Not liking the complete quiet inside the castle, Aaron had taken his book outside to sit in the garden. It was a beautiful late-summer day, so he sat quite happily on the lawn with his book open on the grass before him.

Late on in the morning, he was relieved to see Robert striding across the garden towards him. He looked purposeful yet oddly uncomfortable and Aaron’s eyebrow rose as he waited for Robert to draw close.

“Good morning,” Robert said as soon as his shadow had fallen over Aaron who was still sitting on the ground.

“Good morning,” Aaron echoed. He looked up at Robert and tried to read the expression on his face. “Everything alright?” he asked. “I haven’t seen you, or anyone else, all morning.”

“Yes,” Robert replied quickly. “Everything’s fine. Adam and Vic have been running some errands for me, and I’ve been…busy.”

He cleared his throat and Aaron looked at him quizzically, his eyebrows still raised.

Scratching the back of his neck agitatedly, Robert chewed on his lower lip before running his tongue over it.

Aaron just watched and waited, getting the feeling that Robert was going to speak again but needed some time to get there. He had learnt that sometimes it was best to wait for Robert to be comfortable.

“I, um, I was wondering…well, I’d…” Robert trailed off and blew out a frustrated breath. He scuffed the toe of his shoe against the ground and glared at the grass.

Aaron was more than a little curious now but he could see that Robert was struggling, so he pushed himself up from the lawn and stood before Robert. He still didn’t speak; he just smiled gently, encouragingly, as Robert looked at him.

Drawing in a deep breath, Robert focused on Aaron again.

“Aaron, would you like to have dinner with me this evening? Just the two of us,” he finally managed to ask.

The smile on Aaron’s face faltered a little, not because he was unhappy, just because he was so shocked. But Robert caught the tiny change and he took a step backwards, his face showing hurt.

“It’s…it’s alright,” Robert said as he looked down. “I understand.”

He took another step back and made to turn around, but Aaron reached out and grabbed his wrist quickly.

“No,” he said desperately. “No, you don’t understand. I was just surprised, that’s all. Of course, I’ll have dinner with you – I’d love to.”

Robert looked up immediately: the disbelief was clear on his face.

“I mean it,” Aaron nodded, his fingers still wrapped around Robert’s wrist.

A small, tentative smile pulled at Robert’s mouth. “Alright then,” he said quietly.

“Alright then,” Aaron echoed.

“Um, I’ll meet you in the main dining hall at eight,” Robert said.

“I’ll be there,” Aaron smiled. Suddenly he realised that he was still holding on to Robert and he reluctantly uncurled his fingers.

Robert nodded his head once then he turned around and started to walk away. He turned back to look at Aaron as he went and Aaron watched him until he disappeared back into the castle.

***

After a day spent mostly by himself, Aaron was surprised to find Adam standing in his bedroom doorway that evening. He was grinning brightly with a large white box cradled in his arms.

At Aaron’s confused expression, Adam pushed through the doorway and laid the box on his bed.

“Your clothes for this evening,” he said as he waved his hand over what he had just deposited.

“My clothes?” Aaron asked as he approached.

Adam rolled his eyes. “Yes, your clothes,” he said slowly, seeing as Aaron seemed to be having difficulty processing the information. “You needed something special for this evening.”

Since arriving at the castle, Aaron had been provided with more pieces of clothing than he’d owned in the rest of his life put together. He’d soon realised that between Adam and Vic, they’d worked out his measurements and had clothes made for him. Every so often, Adam or Victoria would return from a trip to one of the towns with supplies for the running of the castle and a new set of clothes for Aaron. As the seasons had changed while he’d been there, Aaron had amassed a fine collection of garments for all weathers, including several pairs of shoes and boots.

Adam was in the process of carefully removing sheets of translucent white paper from the box, revealing the neatly packed clothes inside. And Aaron could feel his mouth falling open slightly at what was inside the box. Even from a few paces away from the bed, he could see that the clothes were made of the finest materials, fit for a prince. Butterflies fluttered through his stomach suddenly.

“Adam…” he said, so quietly he wondered if he’d even be heard.

But Adam did hear him and he paused in his unpacking. For a few moments, he looked up at Aaron and smiled at him kindly, before he turned his attention back to the box.

***

Aaron hadn’t seen Victoria apart from a brief glimpse of her scurrying around earlier and, after asking Adam, he had found out that Vic was helping Robert to prepare for the evening just as he was doing for Aaron.

Aaron hadn’t had anyone help him get dressed since he was a tiny child, so the fact that Adam had spent a large amount of time fastening him into clothes and smoothing out imagined creases in his jacket seemed very strange. It was also odd because apart from preparing meals, Adam and Vic had never really seemed like servants in the castle. They were obviously running it and following Robert’s directions, but they seemed to do it so effortlessly and without fuss that Aaron had hardly noticed. They were more like friends, to both Aaron and Robert.

Adam had taken a few steps back, put his hands on his hips and smiled as he looked Aaron up and down.

“Will I do?” Aaron asked.

“You look fantastic - so smart,” Adam nodded, smile still on his face.

“Thanks, Adam,” Aaron replied. He couldn’t help but return the smile, although his was a little more nervous.

Adam moved forwards again and guided him by the elbow towards the full-length mirror on the wall. “Take a look,” he said as he gestured to the mirror.

Looking up at himself, Aaron drew in a deep breath in surprise. He certainly did look smart: he’d never seen himself looking quite so well presented. If the aim was to make him feel special, then the clothes had already worked their magic. Never in his life had he worn a tail-coat before, but the clothes were made of such high quality material and fitted so well that he didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.

Stealing a glance at the clock on the mantel-piece, Aaron realised that it was nearly eight o’clock.

Adam seemed to have noticed too. “Better get going,” he said with another smile. “You wouldn’t want to keep Robert waiting.”

Aaron nodded, thanked Adam once more and then left his room to head down to the dining hall.

As he stood outside the large door to the hall, he blew out a long breath. He felt incredibly nervous and he didn’t even know why. He knew that this evening was special, he knew that Robert was going to a lot of effort to make it that way, and he knew that for the first time it would just be the two of them in the hall eating together. But that didn’t mean that Aaron had any reason to be nervous. He had spent plenty of time alone with Robert and had never felt like this before. He shook his head slightly as though he was trying to shake his nerves away. Then he pushed the handle down and opened the door to the hall.

The table was set with two places at the far end. The lit candles all over the room made it glow and the silverware on the table sparkled in the light. Standing beside the table, with his arms behind his back, was Robert. He looked as smart, if not more so, than Aaron. His usual loose shirt and breeches had been replaced by a well-fitting dress shirt and trousers. He too was wearing a tail coat in a navy blue with a matching waistcoat beneath it. His hair was neatly styled. He looked like every prince that Aaron had ever imagined when he read a story, right down to the soft smile on his face.

Aaron just stared at him for a long time without moving and eventually Robert approached him. He bowed slightly and Aaron felt his heart flutter in his chest.

“Good evening, Aaron,” Robert said politely. “You look very handsome.”

A wide smile split Aaron’s face. “So do you,” he said genuinely.

Robert’s smile widened; he looked delighted. And Aaron was so pleased that Robert had accepted the compliment. It was no secret that Robert had issues with his appearance, knowing that the first thing that anyone saw when they looked at him was obviously the terrible scars on his face and his ruined eye, but Aaron could honestly say that he didn’t even notice those features any more. They were there, but they weren’t the only things that Aaron saw. There was so much more to Robert than that.

“Shall we take a seat?” Robert suggested.

He led Aaron to the table and pulled out his chair for him. There was no way that Aaron could have wiped the smile from his face as Robert sat down in the other chair.

As the evening progressed, they had made their way through three courses and had been talking comfortably the entire time. They had laughed about silly things and Aaron had playfully joked with Robert in a way that seemed so natural now that it was like they had become two different people since their first meeting.  

Darkness had fallen outside when Aaron declared that he couldn’t eat another bite of his dessert. Vic had brought in tea in on a tray, but even that seemed like it was going to be too much. Aaron groaned at the thought of even attempting to eat or drink anything else.

“Maybe we should go for a walk then,” Robert suggested.

“A walk?” Aaron asked in surprise.

“Yes, a walk,” Robert repeated. “It’ll make us feel better after all that food.”

Aaron didn’t look convinced by the suggestion.

“I have an idea that might make you more willing to join me,” Robert said when Aaron showed no sign of moving.

“What?” he asked curiously.

“Do you trust me, Aaron?” Robert said, and he looked incredibly earnest.

With a small smile, Aaron replied simply, “Yes.”

Robert matched his smile. “Well, come with me then.”

Aaron found himself led from the dining hall and towards the staircase that led to the east wing. He slowed down a little in hesitance as Robert took the first two steps. Then Robert turned back to face him. He looked down at Aaron, seeing the cautiousness on his face and came back down the steps.

Taking Aaron’s hand in his own larger one, he spoke gently. “It’s alright. I have something to show you but the only way to get there is by going through the east wing.”

With a slight tug on his hand, Robert encouraged him forwards and they both made their way up the staircase. Once they reached the top, Robert led him along the corridor, passing closed doors including the one that Aaron knew to be Robert’s bedroom. He forced away the thoughts of that night and what he had seen in that room. He wouldn’t allow those things to spoil how wonderful this evening had been.

They finally reached the end of the corridor and another wooden door. This time, Robert pulled it open to reveal another set of steps, stone and winding up and out of view. There was a rush of cool air as the door was opened and Aaron looked at Robert questioningly.

“Nearly there,” Robert told him. Grabbing a flaming torch from the wall, he slipped through the door and beckoned for Aaron to follow him.

Even if Aaron had wanted to stop, he wouldn’t have been able to. He was far too curious about where Robert was leading him and what he would find at the top of these steps.

When they reached the top, Robert pushed a final door open and stepped out. Aaron followed him for a few paces and then stopped as he took in the view before him. They were at the top of one of the castle towers and Aaron could see for miles in every direction. It was a still, clear night, the sky was full of bright, twinkling stars, and they could see over the tops of all of the trees in the forest.

“This is…unbelievable,” Aaron breathed out.

“It is, isn’t it?” Robert asked from beside him. “I come up here a lot.”

They were still standing in the centre of the tower.

“If you come over here, you can sit down,” Robert said. He positioned himself on the low wall that ran around the edge of the tower, letting his legs hang down.

Aaron looked a little unsure about the suggestion. “Is it safe?” he asked as he wandered closer and peered over the side.

“I won’t let you fall,” Robert said quietly.

Knowing that that was true, Aaron carefully sat down on the wall and resumed staring out into the night. He didn’t know much about the stars, but he wished he did as he sat there looking up at them. Maybe Robert had a book in his library about them and they could bring it up here to read as they looked up at them. The thought of it brought a smile to Aaron’s face; he decided to suggest it to Robert and hoped he thought it was a good idea.

His eyes travelled further down, away from the sky as he looked across the forest. In the distance, he could see the flickering flames that must have been from homes in the nearby villages and towns. Suddenly, he felt a pang of sadness remembering the village he had grown up in and the people he had left behind.

“I…” he started, just as Robert said, “Aaron…”

They both looked at each and smiled a little in embarrassment.

“You go first,” Robert said kindly.

Aaron looked back out towards the lights he could see. “I was just going to say, I wonder if that’s my village we can see.”

“Your village,” Robert echoed beside him. He was quiet for a moment. “You miss it,” he said, and it sounded more like a statement than a question.

Aaron drew his knees up carefully and wrapped his arms around his legs. “Yeah, I suppose I do sometimes. I miss Liv,” he said quietly, almost like he was thinking out loud.

Robert felt something unpleasant wrap around his heart at those words. It wasn’t jealousy, but more a realisation that Aaron wasn’t completely happy at the castle. He looked at Aaron’s face and saw the longing in his eyes: he wanted to be with his family, in his own home. And what sort of man was he to be keeping Aaron trapped at the castle, away from the people he cared for? He wanted Aaron to be happy; he deserved to be happy. And maybe Robert had been fooling himself all this time that he could make Aaron happy here with him.

He swallowed around the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. “You should go back,” he forced out.

Aaron’s head immediately snapped towards Robert. His eyes were wide and a massive smile had split his face. This was what he had been planning on asking Robert for a while: he had wanted them to make the journey back to his village. Or even if Robert didn’t want to go to the village, maybe Aaron could go and bring Liv back to the castle to meet Robert properly and get to know him. It was going to be perfect. And then Aaron could stay at the castle and Liv could come and visit whenever she wanted, or maybe even move there to stay, because Aaron was sure that Robert and Liv would get along if they just had chance to get to know one another. If Liv could see beyond Robert’s sometimes gruff manner, she would surely see how kind and gentle and caring he was, just like Aaron had. His thoughts were running away with him and he was probably getting ahead of himself, but he could hardly contain his excitement at the prospect.  

“Do you really mean it?” he asked enthusiastically. He was almost laughing with the feeling of happiness.

If Aaron had been less excited and had looked at Robert more closely, he would have seen how Robert’s shoulders had slumped. He would have seen how the smile had dropped from Robert’s face. Because Robert had realised in that moment that Aaron had been waiting all this time for him to say that it was alright for him to leave. He had been waiting for Robert to release him from his vow to stay. He couldn’t wait to get away from the castle. He couldn’t wait to get away from _Robert_. The beaming smile on Aaron’s face at the thought of it was the only evidence that Robert needed to know that he was right. He wanted to leave and Robert wouldn’t keep him trapped anymore.

Robert forced a tight smile onto his face. The thought of Aaron leaving was already tearing him apart, but he didn’t want anything to erase the look of happiness from Aaron’s face.

“Of course I mean it,” Robert tried to keep his voice steady. “I want you to be happy.”

Aaron looked at him a little oddly like he was trying to work something out.

Knowing that his feelings would be obvious if Aaron looked at him too closely and not wanting to ruin their last chance to spend time together by making things awkward when Aaron inevitably had to reject him, Robert turned his face back to the night sky. Even though he wanted to treasure the time they had left, he began thinking about how he was going to say goodbye. It was going to be the hardest thing he had ever had to do.

***

The following morning, Aaron wandered down to breakfast and wondered why Adam and Victoria were grinning at him so ridiculously. They looked like they’d gone mad, just standing there smiling at him and twitching their eyebrows up and down.

When Aaron asked them what was wrong and why they were being so odd, they seemed to have one of their ever-so-annoying silent conversations before Vic excused herself and disappeared.

After breakfast, Aaron took himself off to the sitting room to read for a while. He was just wondering if he should start looking for a book about star-gazing when the door opened abruptly.

Robert stood in the doorway, looking more tense than Aaron had seen for a long time. It reminded him of the first few times he had seen Robert when he had arrived at the castle. He was about to ask what was wrong when Robert started speaking. Even his voice sounded wrong. It was flat and he spoke in clipped tones: it seemed so formal.

“I have arranged for Adam to escort you back to your village,” he stated.

Aaron might have smiled at the words if something didn’t feel horribly wrong about the situation.

“Adam has already started to pack your belongings. Everything will be ready by noon and then you can leave. That will give him plenty of time to return before nightfall.”

A confused frown appeared on Aaron’s face. “What do you mean _he_ will have time to return? What about me? And what do you mean he’s packing my belongings? How much stuff do you think I need?” he laughed a little, but it felt odd. This conversation was all wrong.

Robert’s serious expression didn’t alter. “Unfortunately, you won’t be able to carry all of your clothes on horseback, but if there is anything particular you wish to take just let Adam know.”

“What are you _talking_ about?” Aaron asked in bewilderment. He had pushed himself out of his chair and was standing across the room from Robert who hadn’t moved from the doorway.

Robert looked at him steadily for a long moment. “It is time for you to return to your home, Aaron. I release you from your vow. You are free to go back to your village. All I ask is that you do not speak of this place to anyone.”

Aaron had started shaking his head. “Robert…”

He was cut off as Robert ploughed on, refusing to be interrupted. “You must not come back here. You don’t belong here. It is time for you to return to your life and it is time for me to get back to mine.”

Aaron’s mouth was flapping open as he struggled to find the words to respond to what Robert was saying. He hadn’t managed to think of anything when Robert turned around and began walking away.

“Wait!” he called as he ran out of the room and into the hallway.

Robert stopped but didn’t turn around.

“Why are you sending me away?” Aaron asked, and he knew his voice sounded quiet and almost broken, but he just didn’t understand what was happening.

Robert still didn’t turn around completely, but he looked over his shoulder. The strangest thing was that he turned the scarred side of his face towards Aaron, something that he had always avoided even as he had become more comfortable around the other man. Facing that way, he wouldn’t even be able to see Aaron with his blind left eye.

“It’s time you left. You are free now. You can be happy,” Robert said quietly. He strode away, leaving Aaron dumbstruck, standing in the same spot.

“But I’m happy here,” he whispered to the empty hallway.

***

Noon arrived far too quickly for Aaron and he found himself standing alone in the entrance hallway.

Adam and Victoria had been going backwards and forwards to the horses outside, refusing to let Aaron help, and hardly looking him in the eye.

And Aaron was completely bewildered. If he’d been less shocked, he would have stomped up to the east wing and demanded an explanation from Robert, but in his current state he couldn’t even begin to form words.

He was _hurt_. The way that Robert had pushed him away this morning and told him to leave had left him confused and angry and so, so sad. He had thought that they had had a lovely evening the night before, but something had changed dramatically overnight and now Robert didn’t seem to want anything to do with him. He felt sick with the thought of it and his hands were shaking.

Looking up to the top of the staircase and along the gallery that looked over the hallway, Aaron desperately hoped that Robert was going to appear and tell him that he’d made a mistake and he’d changed his mind. But there was no sign of him at all.

There was a quiet cough from the main doorway and Aaron looked over to see Adam and Vic standing there looking sombre. They looked almost as pained as Aaron felt.

“It’s time,” Adam said quietly.

Aaron looked back up to the stairs again. He stayed that way for a long time, but Robert didn’t appear. He could feel tears burning at his eyes. Was this really how it was going to end? Aaron was going to walk out of the door and they weren’t even going to say a proper goodbye? Still there was no sign of Robert.

Aaron turned back to the door. He had to leave: he couldn’t stand there any longer.

He walked forwards and pulled Vic into a hug. “Goodbye,” he said quietly. He didn’t know what else to say. There was so much he _wanted_ to say – that he wanted to _scream_ – but he just hugged her tightly.

“Goodbye, Aaron,” Vic replied and she sniffed. “We’re going to miss you.” She sounded like she really meant it, like she didn’t want Aaron to leave either, and when Aaron pulled back he saw her dabbing at her eyes with her handkerchief.

Aaron nodded and blinked rapidly to force any tears away. Then he followed Adam outside to the horses. He climbed up into the saddle on Mary’s back and urged her forwards slowly.

As they passed through the gate, he looked back at the castle. He let his eyes roam over the windows and up to the tower on the east of the building, desperately hoping that he would catch sight of Robert, desperately wanting some sort of explanation for what had happened, but there was no sign of Robert and no reason for why he was leaving. He slumped in the saddle as he turned away from the castle to look at the track they were taking, feeling like he was leaving a part of himself behind.

***

Peering out from behind the curtain covering the doorway leading to his balcony, Robert silently watched as Aaron followed Adam into the trees and disappeared from view.

The devastation he felt was indescribable. If this was how it felt to love someone and sacrifice yourself for their happiness, he couldn’t understand why anyone would ever want to fall in love. But at the same time, he knew why. He knew that the days he’d spent falling in love with Aaron, growing closer to him, wanting to see him smile and be the reason why he was smiling, were the best times of his life. His life was over now. He was doomed to be cursed forever, but he wouldn’t trade those moments for anything.

Tearing himself away from the balcony, he wandered through his room, stopping when he reached the broken mirror hanging on the wall. He looked at the broken pieces of glass that still hung precariously from the frame and he caught sight of his reflection in one of the shards. What a fool he’d been to ever think that Aaron would want to stay at the castle with him. How could he have ever believed that Aaron would return his feelings?

He shook his head angrily and turned away from the mirror, just as the door to his room was thrown open and Victoria marched inside. She looked annoyed and the fact that she’d barged in to Robert’s room in such a manner seemed to demonstrate how she was feeling.

“What are you doing, Robert?” she demanded immediately.

Robert merely blinked at her in response.

“Don’t give me the silent treatment,” she said in annoyance. “I tried to talk to you this morning and you wouldn’t explain, but I’m not leaving until you talk to me now. Why have you sent Aaron away? I don’t understand why you’re doing this. I thought you loved him.”

The muscle in Robert’s jaw clenched at Vic’s words. “I do love him. That’s why I’ve sent him away. He doesn’t want to be here, trapped with me. He deserves his freedom and he deserves to be happy, so I had to let him go.”

“He _was_ happy here,” Vic insisted. “He didn’t want to leave. Did you even ask him how he felt about it? Or did you just push him away?”

“I didn’t need to ask him,” Robert snapped. “I was a fool to allow myself to fall in love with him and I should have known all along that he could never love _me_.”

“But you don’t _know_ that,” Vic persisted. “If you never asked him, or told him how _you_ feel, you don’t know how he felt. It’s not too late – you could go after him, bring him back and talk to him.”

“It is too late,” Robert said and he suddenly seemed weary, like he’d lost the will to fight.

Vic looked at him sadly. “Rob,” she paused for a moment and drew in a deep breath, “it’s your birthday in just over a week.”

Robert nodded his head slowly. “I know.”

“The curse…” Vic started, but Robert cut her off.

“I know,” he repeated. Of course he knew. He’d been counting down the years, and then the months, and suddenly it was just days until his thirtieth birthday and he was going to be cursed forever. “I know that I’m going to be trapped as a monster forever.”

“But…” Vic tried again, but Robert again interrupted her.

“I want you and Adam to leave,” he said abruptly.

Vic’s eyes widened in shock. “ _What_? You can’t mean that, Robert. You’re just upset.”

“When Adam returns I want you to pack your things and leave,” Robert said bluntly. “You’ve been incredibly loyal to me and I will always be grateful for everything you’ve done for me, but I don’t want you to stay here anymore. It’s time that you moved on with your lives. You cannot stay trapped here with me any longer.”

“Robert, this is ridiculous,” Vic argued. “You can’t stay here alone.”

“I can and I will,” Robert said simply. “You will leave, or I will make you leave and I don’t want our relationship to end that way.”

Vic’s mouth flapped open. The hurt was shining in her eyes as she looked at her brother. “Don’t do this, Robert,” she said sadly. “Don’t push us away. You’ve already sent Aaron away; don’t make us leave you too.”

“It’s for the best,” Robert replied.

Vic shook her head. “What about the full moon? It’s only a week away,” she said desperately, hoping that the news would make Robert come to his senses. “You’ll need us here. We’ll need to secure you and take care of you. You can’t be left out of the cage when you transform - it’s dangerous.”

Robert blinked at her a few times. “Then I suggest you get far away from here,” he said finally.

Victoria shook her head in despair and disbelief again, but Robert stepped forwards and took advantage of her bewilderment to begin steering her towards the door. Once he had manoeuvred Vic into the corridor, he closed the door behind her slowly.

Vic just stared at the heavy door as she heard the key turn in the lock from the inside.         

Leaning heavily against the closed door, Robert turned back to his bedroom. The curtains were pulled across the window leaving the room gloomy and dark. It seemed fitting somehow that the first time that he had met Aaron had been in darkness and now Aaron had taken the light that he had brought with him away and left Robert in the shadows once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suddenly, there's only one chapter left! I don't know how we've got here so quickly. 
> 
> Sorry for leaving it on such a sad note. Feedback will make me update sooner with that final chapter though - just saying!


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we've reached the end of another story. Thank you for all the lovely support, comments and kudos. I'm posting a day earlier than planned thanks to all of your encouragement. I hope you enjoy - as always, please let me know.

A week after returning to the village, Aaron found himself sitting outside his home staring towards the trees at the edge of the forest. He had spent a lot of time in the same position since he had come home and he didn’t feel particularly inclined to change that. The days since he had returned had gone by in a bit of a blur and he just couldn’t seem to pull himself out of the daze he had found himself in.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t pleased to be back in the village – he was. He was happy to be back with Liv: he had missed her terribly and finally being able to see her after months of separation was a lovely feeling. But something just didn’t feel right and Aaron knew it was because he wanted to see Robert. The way that he had left the castle, without even a proper goodbye, just felt so wrong.

It wasn’t even a conscious decision that had Aaron looking towards the forest each day. There was just some stupidly optimistic part of his brain that desperately hoped that if he kept looking, eventually Robert would appear and ask him to go back to the castle. So far, Robert hadn’t appeared.

Aaron heard the footsteps approaching him and knew that Liv was coming to sit beside him. Even in his current disheartened state, he hadn’t missed the anxious looks that Liv kept sending in his direction. He hadn’t missed the expression on Liv’s face when Aaron had struggled to focus on their conversations. He didn’t want to worry his sister but he knew that he’d not been himself since he returned. He was quiet and withdrawn, but he just didn’t know how to shake himself out of it.

Liv settled herself down beside Aaron quietly and didn’t speak for a long time. After the initial happiness of seeing Aaron back, safe and sound, Liv had quickly realised that her brother was hiding something. At first, Liv had been concerned that something awful had happened to Aaron while he was at the castle. And when all of her questions had gone unanswered or left Aaron looking upset, she had feared the worst. But as the week had dragged by, Liv had started to wonder if there was some other reason why Aaron was behaving the way he was.

“I know there’s something wrong,” Liv eventually said quietly.

Aaron looked down at his knees. On top of his sadness about what had happened with Robert, he felt like he was being an awful brother. What sort of person came home after months of being away and behaved like he was?

“You’re sad,” Liv stated simply. “Are you unhappy about being back here?”

Aaron looked up at her quickly. “I…no…it’s not that I don’t want to be _here._ I’m so happy that I got to come back and see you again; I really missed you, Liv. I mean it. And I know I’ve been quiet since I came back and I’m sorry. It’s just…I…I…it’s all wrong. It wasn’t supposed to end like this,” he finished quietly and looked back down at his knees.

Despite Aaron’s rather unclear explanation, things started to fall into place for Liv as she looked at her brother.

“You care about Robert, don’t you?” she asked gently.

Slowly, Aaron lifted his head and looked her in the eyes. “Yes.”

“What happened, Aaron?”

Aaron sighed heavily. “I know that when you were at the castle, he was scary and mean, and he was like that at first when I was there too. I didn’t like him…I was scared of him really. But then…things changed. I suppose I saw that there was more to him than what meets the eye. He’s a good man; he’s kind and gentle…and he saved my life.”

At Liv’s shocked face, Aaron continued quickly. “It’s a long story, but he risked his own life to save me and got hurt doing it. And I started getting to know him and saw that there’s so much more. But then…he just…he just shut me out. He pushed me away and I don’t know why. I don’t know what happened. He just told me I had to leave and…I didn’t even get to say goodbye. I can’t just leave it like that, Liv. I _can’t_.”

Liv smiled sadly at her brother. Part of her wished that she’d forced Aaron to have this conversation sooner, but she also got the feeling that Aaron had needed some time before he could talk this through.

“So you want to go back to see him? To talk?” she asked.

Aaron nodded slowly, but then looked troubled. “He told me not to go back, but I need to see him. Even if he just sends me away again, I need to _try_.”

Liv nodded. “Then we should get going,” she said simply.

Aaron looked at her questioningly.

“You just said it yourself – you need to see him. And I’m coming with you. If we set off now, we should be able to make it before nightfall.”

Aaron’s mouth flapped open a little. “ _Really_?” he asked in shock.

“Yes, really,” Liv smiled at him. She stood up and then pulled Aaron to his feet. “Come on.”

***

When Adam had escorted Aaron back to the village, he had insisted that Mary stayed with Aaron. At first Aaron had been opposed to the idea: not because he wasn’t fond of the horse, because he really was, but because he didn’t see how he could keep one of Robert’s horses when Robert had sent him away like he had. But Adam refused to take Mary back to the castle and, when Aaron continued to try to hand him her reins, he had simply stated that Robert had explicitly said that Aaron should keep her. Initially Aaron worried that it was because Robert didn’t want anything around that would remind him of the other man, but then he had come to realise that it was simply another demonstration of Robert’s kind-heartedness. He had been well-aware of Aaron’s fondness for his adopted horse, so no doubt he wouldn’t want to have separated the two of them.

As Aaron rode alongside Liv through the forest, he kept thinking over it, even though it was a silly thing to be so fixated on. Part of him was angry at Robert for behaving like that – if he didn’t want Aaron around, couldn’t even bring himself to say a proper goodbye, why would he make the effort to ensure that Aaron got to keep the horse? Why did his actions tell two completely different stories?

The problem was that he couldn’t stay angry at Robert because he knew deep down why he had done it. And it was maddening. Things would have been a lot simpler if Robert had been cold and mean and scary the whole time that Aaron was at the castle. Why did he have to turn out to be so kind and good? Aaron wasn’t sure what he was going to say to Robert when they arrived at the castle; he wasn’t sure if he was going to hit him or hug him.

***

The ride had taken longer than either of them remembered and, by the time they were reaching the edge of the forest, the sky was nearly completely dark. They felt more confident being together and both of them had a knife strapped to their belts after their previous experiences with the dangerous creatures that prowled the area. It was fortunate that it was such a clear summer’s night because the full moon shone brightly and lit up the forest through the leaves.

They were both rather pleased when they saw the walls of the castle appearing as the trees thinned, which was slightly odd because neither of them had left in the happiest of circumstances the last time they were here. But regardless of that, the castle seemed much more welcoming than the forest now that night had fallen completely.

Both of them dismounted and led their horses through the gates. Then they stood at the bottom of the stone steps staring up at the large wooden door.

Aaron was suddenly very nervous. He didn’t know how Robert was going to react to his presence. He didn’t want to make Robert angry or have some terrible argument, but he also couldn’t leave things the way they were. He was determined to talk to Robert and find out why he had made him leave.

After standing outside for several minutes, Liv nudged Aaron’s arm and gave him a knowing look.

“Are we actually going in? Or are we going to stand out here all night?” she asked with a cheeky grin.

Aaron rolled his eyes, not wanting to show how anxious he really was, and set off up the steps. When he reached the top, he pushed the handle down and opened the door slowly. He half expected Adam or Vic to come rushing towards him, but there was no sign of anyone. The castle was dark inside apart from a few candles burning here and there, and it was so much like that first time that Aaron had entered all those months ago when he was searching for Liv. It didn’t seem right anymore though; the castle had been a more cheerful, light place when Aaron had left. Now it seemed deserted and cold again.

“Is it alright if you stay here?” Aaron asked Liv quietly. “I don’t know how Robert will feel about _me_ being here, let alone if both of us go wandering around looking for him.”

Liv nodded in understanding. “I’ll stay down here. Hopefully Adam or Vic will appear eventually.”

“Thanks, Liv.” He was still speaking quietly as though he was afraid to raise his voice and disturb the silence of the building.

“I hope you get the answers you’re looking for,” she told him as she patted him on the shoulder. “Good luck.”

Aaron managed a weak smile and set off to climb the staircase that led towards the east wing. It was the first place he could imagine finding Robert. And even though he wasn’t supposed to be at the castle, he hoped that he wouldn’t catch Robert too unawares and make him angry. He decided that it might be a good idea to at least try to alert Robert to his presence, so as he wandered along the corridor leading through the wing he called his name. The strange thing was that he didn’t dare call it too loudly. The castle felt eerily still and silent, and the atmosphere was making the hairs on the back of Aaron’s neck stand on end as he walked.

With no sign of Robert and no response to his calls, Aaron found himself standing outside Robert’s bedroom. The door was slightly ajar, but Aaron still hesitated. The last time that he had set foot in this room, he had frightened himself with what he had seen and then been terrified by Robert’s enraged reaction to finding him there. He had never figured out what the things in Robert’s room meant and why they were there; so much about Robert was still a mystery, he suddenly realised. Liv was right – he needed to find some answers.

Slowly, with a slightly unsteady hand, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

“Robert?” he called out again.

But again there was no response. Robert wasn’t in his room.

But something had happened inside. The moonlight was shining through the open balcony doors, revealing the destruction in the room. The curtains at the window were ripped and flapping in the breeze. The drapes surrounding the four-poster bed were torn, strips of material hanging haphazardly from the frame. And there were still feathers floating around above the bed from the pillows that looked to have been shredded completely.

“Where are you, Robert?” Aaron murmured to himself.

As he turned around, he heard a long, drawn out howl echoing through the night air. It was the same as the one he had heard in the middle of the night all those months ago, that he had begun to think he had imagined. He shuddered suddenly. The sound just seemed to add to the feeling that something was horribly wrong tonight. It sounded incredibly close, almost like it was coming from within the castle, just like it had the first time he had heard it. But there had been no wild beast in the building that night and Aaron was sure that there couldn’t be one now. Whatever it was that was making that sound was hopefully somewhere out in the forest.

Knowing that there was no point in standing in Robert’s room any longer, Aaron walked back into the corridor. He sighed disappointedly; he’d been sure that Robert would be up here. But then, as he was about to head back to the staircase, he caught sight of the door up to the tower. Maybe Robert had gone up there. He had said how much he liked it and it would be a perfect night to sit at the top and gaze up at the stars seeing as the sky was so clear and the moon was so full.

Quickly, Aaron made his way to the door, pulled it open and made his way up the stone steps. He was sure that he would find Robert sitting at the top, so when he walked out and found the place deserted, he was more than a little deflated. Where could Robert be? The whole castle seemed silent and empty; there was no sign of Robert, or Adam and Vic.

For a moment, Aaron panicked – what if they had all abandoned the castle after he had left? What if they had disappeared? Aaron had no way of knowing where they had gone and he had no hope of ever finding them. But he forced that silly thought away. There was no way that Robert would have left his home, his safety inside the castle walls. He was certainly more comfortable being outside these days, but moving out of the castle completely was an entirely different thing to deal with.    

Sighing again, he wandered towards the edge of the tower to peer over the low wall. It was a beautiful night, but he couldn’t enjoy it. He just wanted to see Robert.

Taking a step backwards away from the edge, he suddenly stopped moving when he heard a low growl behind him. His skin prickled and the hairs at the back of his neck rose again. Incredibly slowly, he turned around and drew in a sharp breath. If he had thought that the wolf staring back at him in the forest all those months ago was frightening, it was nothing in comparison to the creature that was before him now. It was like a wolf, but so much bigger. Its fangs looked so much sharper. It looked like it could tear flesh from bone without much effort. Aaron had heard terrifying stories about werewolves but never believed that something so horrifying could actually exist. Now he was confronted by one and it had its attention fixed entirely on Aaron as it snarled ferociously.

Aaron didn’t move: he was frozen to the spot in terror. Even if he could have made his legs work in that moment, his only escape route was blocked by the huge beast blocking the doorway.

The creature had been watching Aaron with absolute focus as though it was waiting for him to move or try to escape so it had an excuse to pounce. But then it suddenly threw its head back and let out a horrendous cry to the moon. The howl sounded full of rage and desperation and suffering.

Aaron flinched at the sound and clapped his hands over his ears in fear, as though not hearing the noise so loudly would save him somehow. He didn’t dare close his eyes, but he wanted to squeeze them shut at the awful cry and the sight of the animal’s sharp teeth glistening in the moonlight. 

The cry suddenly cut off and the beast was immediately staring at Aaron again. It moved its front leg and took a slight step forward. Aaron could see the power it possessed by the movement of the muscles across its back and shoulders. And then Aaron noticed something: three long scars running across the animal’s back and another large scar on its shoulder.

The creature moved forwards again and this time it snarled, bearing its teeth as it moved closer.

Aaron’s mind was racing as he looked back at it. He forced himself to look into its eyes. He could only look at one, because the other was glazed over with a scar running straight through it. The other eye was a blue that looked startlingly familiar.

“ _Robert_?” he whispered in shock, shaking his head slightly.

The creature growled again and took another step closer. It was stalking Aaron, waiting for the moment when it would pounce.

Aaron was shaking now. “Robert?” he asked again. “Is…is that _you_?”

The animal snarled angrily and suddenly rushed forwards a few paces.

Aaron stumbled backwards before regaining his footing. He glanced over his shoulder quickly, hardly daring to take his eyes off the creature before him. He realised that he couldn’t go any further backwards; he was right at the edge of the tower. The thought of whether or not it would be preferable to fall to his death rather than be ripped apart flashed through his mind, but then he focused on the creature again.

He looked into the animal’s eyes again. “Robert, it’s me,” he said desperately, out of breath as he felt his heart thudding rapidly. “Oh Robert, what _happened_ to you?”

The beast showed no sign of recognition, it merely snarled again and seemed to settle itself into a stance ready to attack.

It was so close now that Aaron could feel the heat from its body as it breathed deeply.

“Robert, I know you’re in there somewhere,” he pleaded. “It’s me. It’s Aaron. Please… _please_ remember me. I came back to find you.”

The creature had reared back, teeth snapping, as it prepared to leap at Aaron, but then it suddenly stilled as he spoke. It sank down slightly and stopped growling. It stared at Aaron and seemed to tilt its head to the side as it assessed him.

Aaron wasn’t sure if it was recognition he could see on its face, but it certainly didn’t look like it was about to kill him anymore.

“Robert?” he said again.

Half of his brain was screaming that he was absolutely insane, but the other half was moving his hand out incredibly slowly towards the creature. He knew his hand was trembling, frightened that he was about to have his fingers snapped off at any moment, yet also trusting that Robert wouldn’t hurt him.  

Moving forwards a tiny amount at a time, not wanting to make any sudden movements, his fingers eventually reached the face of the creature, and with one final deep breath and one final leap of faith, Aaron stroked his hand gently across the side of its cheek. Its eyelids fluttered slightly at the touch and a low growl rumbled from deep within its chest, but this time it was a contented sound rather than an angry one.

A small, almost disbelieving, smile tugged at Aaron’s mouth and he was about to speak again when he heard heavy footsteps getting closer quickly. Someone was running up the stone steps to the top of the tower.  

The creature’s eyes narrowed as it suddenly went tense and snarled again. Aaron snatched his hand back, but before he could say anything, Liv had burst through the doorway leading out to the tower.

Her eyes widened in horror at the sight of the monster looming over her, and before Aaron could tell her what was going on and before the creature had even turned to face her, Liv had rushed forwards. She struck out with the knife that she had pulled from her belt and thrust it straight into the animal’s back.

There was a terrible, pained cry as the animal again threw its head back and howled in agony. Then it staggered where it was standing for a moment. It looked at Aaron pitifully before it slumped to the floor heavily.

“ _No_!” Aaron screamed in anguish.

Liv looked on in shock as Aaron rushed to the creature’s side, kneeling down immediately. His hands fluttered uselessly above the wounded body, not knowing what to do.

“No, no, no,” Aaron repeated.

“Aaron, what are you doing? What’s going on? I don’t understand,” Liv said as she came closer warily.

“It’s _Robert_ ,” Aaron cried. “I don’t know how, or what happened to him, but it’s him.”

Liv’s eyes were wide as she shook her head. “Oh no. I didn’t know. I’m so sorry. I thought it was going to attack you. I didn’t know,” she said and she sounded distraught.

Aaron couldn’t comfort her at that moment. His attention was fixed on Robert, who was whining mournfully where he lay.

“Robert…please, Robert…please don’t leave me. Please hold on,” Aaron begged.

One blue eye moved to look up at him and seemed to roam across every part of Aaron’s face. There was something so sad in his eye as he looked at him.

Aaron knew in that moment that Robert was dying. And there was so much left unsaid between them.

A sob was ripped out of Aaron. He reached up and stroked the side of Robert’s face gently again.

“Robert…” he whispered, his voice was choked and watery.

Robert looked at him for a long moment. Then his eyes slowly fell shut.

“ _No_!” Aaron cried in pained sorrow. He leant over Robert and sobbed broken-heartedly.

“I’m so sorry, Aaron,” Liv whispered and she sounded like she was crying too.

“Please, Robert,” Aaron begged. “It _can’t_ end like this…I _love_ you,” he sobbed desperately against Robert’s chest.

Suddenly there were more footsteps running up the steps and then Adam and Victoria burst out of the stairway and onto the top of the tower.

Their eyes immediately widened in shock as they took in the scene.

“Robert! _No_!” Victoria screamed before covering her mouth with her hands.

“Oh no…” Adam shook his head in disbelief. “We should have come back sooner…we were too late.” Tears began rolling down Vic’s face as Adam pulled her into a tight embrace.

Aaron hadn’t moved from where he was sobbing at Robert’s side, but he suddenly became aware of movement beneath him.

He sat back in shock as Robert’s body, still trapped in its werewolf form, began to rise slowly from the floor as though lifted by invisible hands.

All eyes were transfixed by the sight as Robert was surrounded midair by tiny, glowing, golden lights.

“What…what’s going on?” Aaron managed to ask as he stared up from his position on the floor. The tears were still tracking down his cheeks and he wiped them away as he watched in amazement.

No-one answered his question because none of them knew how to. None of them _knew_ what was happening.

The lights continued to swirl around Robert and they could no longer make out where he was within the cloud of gold.

Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light that forced the four people on the tower to cover their eyes with its intensity. And then everything seemed to be frozen and silent.

Aaron slowly lowered his hand from his face and blinked rapidly to clear his vision. All he could make out were delicate golden sparks floating through the air. When he could see without black spots dancing in front of his eyes anymore, he looked up to see the silhouette of a man standing in the centre of the tower. Aaron squinted up at him from where he was still kneeling on the floor. He couldn’t make out any features of the man for a long time. Then everything suddenly came into sharp focus.

The man standing in front of him was dressed in the same clothes that Robert had been wearing to dinner with Aaron the night before he had told him to leave. He had the same height and build as Robert. Even his hair was the same. But his face was different. The terrible scars that had ruined Robert’s face and blinded his eye weren’t there. There was no trace of any injury at all. Instead Aaron looked up into two blue eyes that were shining with happiness and love.

“Aaron…” the man said softly as he took a few steps closer and held out his hand.

Aaron looked up at him in confusion. He held his gaze for a long moment, searching for something in the man’s eyes.

“ _Robert_?” he said eventually.

The man actually laughed gently a little. “Yes,” he said happily. “Yes, Aaron, it’s me!”

Aaron reached up and allowed the other man to take his hand and pull him to his feet carefully.

Once they were eye to eye, Aaron lifted his hand to the left side of Robert’s face and stroked his fingers across his unblemished cheek. He looked like he was in some sort of trance as his eyes drank in every feature of Robert’s face. 

“It’s really you?” he asked in amazement.

Robert simply nodded, not wanting Aaron to stop running his hand across his face. This was all he had wanted for so long now. The feeling of Aaron’s fingers gently smoothing over his skin was almost too good to be true. He had given up hope of ever experiencing a moment like this, so he never wanted it to end.  

“I thought…I thought you were _dead_ ,” Aaron suddenly sobbed. He threw his arms around Robert and hugged him tightly. His body was shaking as he clung to Robert desperately.

Robert didn’t hesitate to return the embrace, sighing deeply as he breathed against Aaron’s hair.

“Ssshhh,” he soothed as he rubbed his hand up and down Aaron’s shuddering back. “I’m alright. I’m alive and I’m alright. And it’s all because of you.”

Aaron pulled back slightly and looked up at him curiously with wide, wet eyes.

“You saved me,” Robert said gently as he looked back at him. He reached up and gently wiped a tear from Aaron’s cheek. “I was cursed to be a monster forever unless someone could learn to love me. And your love has saved me, Aaron.”

Aaron’s eyes widened further in shock.

“I have so much to tell you…to explain to you,” Robert said with a slight shake of his head. “But for now, all I want to tell you is that I love you. I should have told you before, before I sent you away, before I tried to pretend that I didn’t care and that I wouldn’t miss you. I love you, Aaron – so much.”

Aaron’s shocked expression melted into one of pure joy. He pushed up onto his toes slightly and pressed his lips against Robert’s.

Robert, caught by surprise, hesitated for a second before he allowed himself to give in to the moment. His eyes fell shut as he returned the kiss; he wanted to pour everything he had been feeling into the action. He had imagined this moment for so long, but almost never dared to believe that it might actually become a reality. When he had pushed Aaron away, he had sacrificed his own happiness, his own chance to experience a moment like this. But now he had everything he wanted right there in his arms.

Aaron’s mouth quirked into a smile while their lips were still pressed together and Robert pulled away slightly to look at him.

Pressing their foreheads together, Aaron smiled at him warmly.

“I love you too,” he whispered. He sighed happily as he went kind of cross-eyed as he looked at Robert.

Robert breathed out a laugh: half in amusement at Aaron’s expression and half in disbelief and happiness that this was actually happening.

There was a soft cough from nearby and both Robert and Aaron immediately looked over to see Adam, Vic and Liv still standing on the tower with them. They had completely forgotten that the others were there.

Victoria looked like an excited child on her birthday. The smile on her face was absolutely beaming – so wide it looked almost painful. Robert was sure that there were tears of joy in her eyes.

Beside him, Adam was watching Robert and Aaron with a slightly more calm expression on his face. His smile was more reserved, but there was no disguising the happiness shining from his face. He almost looked like he had known that this was going to happen all along. Maybe he _had_ known: maybe he had seen the developing affection between Aaron and Robert before anyone else.

Robert squeezed Aaron’s hand before he walked over to his family. Without a second thought, he pulled them both into a tight embrace, which they immediately returned.

“Thank you,” he said. “Thank you so much…for everything. There aren’t enough words to express how grateful I am to you for everything you’ve done for me. Even when…even when I didn’t deserve you, you stuck by me. And I’ll never be able to repay you for that.”

“You don’t need to repay us,” Vic said with a shake of her head. “We’re your family; we wanted to be here for you.”

“You deserve to be happy, Rob. You’ve been through so much,” Adam added. “I think that maybe you’ve finally realised that now.”

Robert smiled softly and nodded a little. “I’m getting there,” he said quietly.

“I knew everything would work out,” Adam said with a triumphant smile. “Didn’t I tell you?” he directed at Vic.

Lifting an eyebrow, Vic looked at him doubtfully. “Really? Because I’m pretty sure that it was you that was inconsolable about the whole thing a few days ago.”

Adam blew out a huff. “Well things did look pretty bleak for a while, especially when you made us leave.”

Robert looked down guiltily at the words. He felt awful about treating them in such a way.

“Hey,” Victoria poked him in the arm. “You are going to let us come back, aren’t you?”

“Of course,” Robert replied immediately as he looked back up at them. “I shouldn’t have sent you away in the first place. I’m sorry – I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Robert, it’s alright,” Vic told him. “We understand. But you do realise that you’re going to have to be better at communicating from now on, right?”

Robert nodded. “Yes, I think you’re right. I’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for.”

He turned slightly and looked over to where Aaron was standing with an arm around Liv’s shoulder talking to her quietly. Liv looked distraught and was shaking her head as she looked down at the ground.

Robert wasn’t sure what Liv was upset about, but he could probably guess. He smiled once more at Adam and Victoria, and took a few steps towards where the others were standing. He heard Adam and Vic shuffle closer behind him.

Smiling at Aaron as he approached, he stopped a few feet in front of them. “Is everything alright?” he asked gently.

Aaron shook his head slightly. “Liv feels awful,” he began, but she cut him off quickly, rushing to get her words out as she looked up at Robert.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that it was you. I just saw that Aaron was in danger and I thought you were going to kill him. I didn’t realise. I didn’t think…I just had to help him. I had no idea and…and…I almost _killed_ you,” she blurted. She looked terrible and she buried her face in Aaron’s shoulder.

“Liv, it’s alright,” Robert tried to calm her. “I’m not angry about what you did. I forgive you.”

“But how can you?” Liv sobbed.

“Because you only did what you did to protect Aaron. And if you hadn’t, I can’t honestly say how I would have reacted to your arrival. I wasn’t in control of myself when I was transformed. Somehow Aaron had managed to get through to me, but I don’t think I could have held on to that control for much longer when you arrived because it was just too much. I might have hurt you, or Aaron. You did the right thing. You defended your brother. I can’t be angry with you for that. And really, if you think about it, you saved me. Because Aaron told me he loved me when he thought he was going to lose me.”

Liv blinked the tears out of her eyes and looked at Robert steadily like she was trying to absorb what she had been told and _believe_ it.     

“We didn’t get off to a very good start,” Robert chuckled slightly. “But I’d like to make up for that now.”

Liv actually smiled a little and nodded in agreement.

It might take some time, but all five people standing on the tower could see that things were going to be alright.

Aaron smiled softly at Robert when they made eye contact once more and Robert reached out to pull Aaron towards him gently. Now that he could show his true feelings, he wanted to be as close to Aaron as possible, as often as possible.

Aaron reached up and smoothed his hand against Robert’s cheek. There was still a look of wonderment on his face and he seemed quite keen to repeat the action as his fingers lightly stroked Robert’s skin.

Robert kissed him again. That was all he wanted in that moment. There was a lot to talk about, a lot of things that Aaron needed to know and things that Robert needed to explain, but for now all he wanted was to hold Aaron close.

The five of them stood on the tower with the stars and a bright full moon shining above them, and they knew that they were all going to live happily ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to end with ‘happily ever after’ because it’s a fairy tale! And surely there’s no other way to end (even if it is cheesy!). 
> 
> Please let me know what you thought of this fic - it means a lot to me to hear from you.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm snarfettelove on tumblr.


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